CHI01LA310

Factual narrative

On September 3, 2001, at about 1350 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20K, N252YX, owned and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted a pole, trees, and terrain after takeoff from runway 25 (2,530 feet by 80 feet, turf) at the Arnold Field Airport, Croswell, Michigan. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and was not on a flight plan. The pilot and 3 passengers reported no injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to the Detroit City Airport, Detroit, Michigan. The pilot said in a written statement, "I began the takeoff at the extreme end of [runway] 25 (there was a little down hill start). As I applied throttle I didn't notice the turbo charger kick in and wrote it off to the bumpy grass field. Acceleration seemed a little sluggish but again attributed it to the grass field and being close to maximum gross weight (I normally fly out of Detroit City; this was my fourth departure from Arnold Field and my first from runway 25). About 2/3 of the way down the runway I realized that there was a serious performance problem. I rotated at a little over 60 knots and the wheels cleared the grass; I presumed the plane would then perform since I wouldn't have the retarding effect of the grass. Looking up I could see power lines above me and realized that I would not clear them. The plane continued to under perform; I pulled up on the yoke and the stall warning went off. I lowered the nose and looked for a place I might get under the power lines and over the trees. It was clear that that wouldn't happen and I lowered the nose and tried to aim for a thin spot in the tree line. The right wing clipped a phone pole and we crashed through the trees, over the road and came to rest in a freshly plowed field." A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. The airplane's engine was test run on the airframe. The engine ran from idle to a power setting of 34 inches of manifold pressure. Power was not increased beyond 34 inches due to safety concerns during the test. During the test run, the magneto's were checked and the propeller was cycled. No anomalies were noted during the test run. FAA publication "THE SAFE PILOT'S 12 GOLDEN RULES - FAA-P-8740-7" states, "9. TAKEOFF/LANDING LIMITS -- Plan ahead . . . (a) Always plan touchdown 200 feet inside of runway threshold. (b) Abort takeoff if not solidly "airborne" in first 1/2 of runway. (c) Abort landing if not solidly "on" in first 1/3 of runway. (First 1/4 if wet grass.) (d) Never relax control until engine is shut down and wheels are blocked." The airplane impacted a pole, trees, and terrain after takeoff. The pilot said in a written statement, "I began the takeoff at the extreme end of [runway] 25 (there was a little down hill start). As I applied throttle I didn't notice the turbo charger kick in and wrote it off to the bumpy grass field. Acceleration seemed a little sluggish but again attributed it to the grass field and being close to maximum gross weight (I normally fly out of Detroit City; this was my fourth departure from Arnold Field and my first from runway 25). About 2/3 of the way down the runway I realized that there was a serious performance problem. I rotated at a little over 60 knots and the wheels cleared the grass; I presumed the plane would then perform since I wouldn't have the retarding effect of the grass. Looking up I could see power lines above me and realized that I would not clear them. The plane continued to under perform; I pulled up on the yoke and the stall warning went off. I lowered the nose and looked for a place I might get under the power lines and over the trees. It was clear that that wouldn't happen and I lowered the nose and tried to aim for a thin spot in the tree line. The right wing clipped a phone pole and we crashed through the trees, over the road and came to rest in a freshly plowed field." A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. The airplane's engine was test run on the airframe. The engine ran from idle to a power setting of 34 inches of manifold pressure. Power was not increased beyond 34 inches due to safety concerns during the test. During the test run, the magneto's were checked and the propeller was cycled. No anomalies were noted during the test run. FAA publication "THE SAFE PILOT'S 12 GOLDEN RULES - FAA-P-8740-7" states, "9. TAKEOFF/LANDING LIMITS -- Plan ahead . . . (a) Always plan touchdown 200 feet inside of runway threshold. (b) Abort takeoff if not solidly "airborne" in first 1/2 of runway. (c) Abort landing if not solidly "on" in first 1/3 of runway. (First 1/4 if wet grass.) (d) Never relax control until engine is shut down and wheels are blocked." Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12