NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA23LA314
Registry · N62GH
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
MOONEY M20R
Year of manufacture
1999 · 24 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO-550 SERIES (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19990714
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A81482
Registrant of record
BAS PART SALES LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper glidepath during final approach, which resulted in a collision with the approach lights short of the runway. Contributing was the pilot’s distraction due to the cabin door opening.
Factual narrative
The pilot and the flight instructor were climbing out after departing from the airport when the cabin door suddenly opened. The flight instructor tried to close the door but could not get it closed properly. The pilot subsequently returned to the airport to land. During the landing approach, the pilot was distracted, flew too low, and the airplane contacted several approach lights short of the runway threshold. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
- — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_ERA23LA314.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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