Mooney 20F accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire, January 19, 1997
On January 19, 1997 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Mooney 20F, registered N7112V, was destroyed in an accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire (Jaffrey Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go around attempt, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 1997 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jaffrey, New Hampshire · Jaffrey Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney 20F
- Registration
- N7112V · registry record · serial 22-0047
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane struck trees as the pilot tried to do a go-around. The pilot said that when he attempted the landing, '...the left side of the runway had a quartering wind. I'm making a perfect landing - all the numbers are right, airspeed, etc. - when all of a sudden everything goes bad. I gave power to go around and the plane balloons up twenty feet in the air. I'm pushing the nose down to get back to the runway but the plane keeps going to the left. I believe the nose struck the ground first.' The passenger said, '. It seemed like we were landing and taking off at the same time. We hit nose first and cartwheeled into the woods. We went backwards into the woods. One wing tore off. There was gasoline everywhere.' The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction. Examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,236 hours in all; 446 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,236 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,979 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 19, 1996; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO360AIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EEN Keene NH at 7:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,982 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.