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ERA24LA086

2023-10-22 · Morganton, North Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MRN

Current FAA registration · N5954Q

Make / Model
MOONEY M20C
Year of manufacture
1965 · 58 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19651007
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7B2ED

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and an impact with the runway’s precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights.

Factual narrative

The pilot and passenger reported that the airplane had undergone recent maintenance, and the purpose of flight was to perform a test flight. The first takeoff was made without issue and the pilot landed after performing two go-arounds in the traffic pattern. The pilot then taxied to the ramp and completed a visual inspection of the airplane. Subsequently, the pilot taxied for another takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the airplane began pulling and turning to the left, and despite the pilot’s control applications, the airplane departed the runway and its left wing collided with the runway’s precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights. The collision with the PAPI lights resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA24LA086.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion, go-around, maintenance). All research papers