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WPR20CA181

2020-06-05 · Healdsburg, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport HES

Current FAA registration · N201JK

Make / Model
MOONEY M20J
Year of manufacture
1976 · 44 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19761118
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1968C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that on downwind for landing on runway 13, he observed that the wind tetrahedron indicated a west wind and the windsock was flapping around. While on base leg, the pilot experienced slight turbulence. The pilot reported that on touchdown, there were some "sudden gusts," and as he added normal braking, the right tire failed, which caused a loss of directional control and subsequent skid. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid to a stop on the taxiway. The aft fuselage was substantially damaged. A witness reported that the airplane touched down about halfway down the runway with an estimated 15 knot tailwind. The pilot applied the brakes and the airplane skidded down the runway. Shortly after, the right tire "blew out," and the airplane continued to slide sideways down the runway. Subsequently, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing and tail struck the runway.  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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_WPR20CA181.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

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