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ERA10CA412

2010-08-08 · Poughkeepsie, New York, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport POU

Current FAA registration · N9153Z

Make / Model
MOONEY M20M
Year of manufacture
1996 · 14 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING TI0-540 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19960131
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ACAC17

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper flare which resulted in a hard landing, loss of directional control and runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated he received an instrument flight rules clearance from air traffic control for a night global positioning system approach to runway 24 at his destination airport. Upon reaching the final approach fix, he turned the landing lights on, lowered the landing gear and extended the flaps to the full down position. He observed both alternator lights flicker, then remain illuminated. He continued the approach and flared the airplane higher than normal. The airplane landed hard and bounced several times. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane, and it departed the left side of the runway and came to rest upright in the grass. Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the landing gear, right wing, and fuselage, consistent with ground impact. Weather, about the time of the accident, included clear skies and winds from 190 degrees true at 8 knots. The pilot stated that he received an instrument flight rules clearance from air traffic control for a night global positioning system approach to runway 24 at his destination airport. Upon reaching the final approach fix, he turned the landing lights on, lowered the landing gear and extended the flaps to the full down position. He observed both alternator lights flicker, then remain illuminated. He continued the approach and flared the airplane higher than normal. The airplane landed hard and bounced several times. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane, and it departed the left side of the runway and came to rest upright in the grass. Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the landing gear, right wing, and fuselage, consistent with ground impact. Weather, about the time of the accident, included clear skies and winds from 190 degrees true at 8 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Electrical power system-Alternator-generator drive sys-Failure

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA412.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers