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GAA15CA277

2015-09-19 · Manville, New Jersey, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 47N

Current FAA registration · N763RC

Make / Model
MOONEY M20M
Year of manufacture
1993 · 22 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING TI0-540 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19930608
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA4E27

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 collision with a fence.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll with a variable wind from the right, about 80 knots, he felt the airplane pulling to the left. He stated that he applied right rudder, and turned the control wheel to the right, however the airplane exited the runway to the left. The pilot reported that after exiting the runway, onto the grass, he pulled the power back and applied the brakes as heavily as possible. During the runway excursion, the left wing impacted a steel fence post. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he was unsure if any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies existed that would have prevented normal flight operation. However the FAA confirmed that there were no anomalies. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll with a variable wind from the right, about 80 knots, he felt the airplane pulling to the left. He stated that he applied right rudder, and turned the control wheel to the right, however the airplane exited the runway to the left. The pilot reported that after exiting the runway, onto the grass, he pulled the power back and applied the brakes as heavily as possible. During the runway excursion, the left wing impacted a steel fence post. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he was unsure if any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies existed that would have prevented normal flight operation. However the FAA confirmed that there were no anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA277.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). All research papers