NTSB WPR21LA148 — 2021-03-27 · Alturas, California, United States

Current FAA registration · N9146Q

Make / Model: MOONEY M20J
Year of manufacture: 1996 · 25 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER A&C (200 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19960520
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S ACA8C0

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N9146Q Mooney M20J None

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a bounced landing, loss of airplane control and subsequent collision with terrain.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear and bounced twice. He initiated a go-around, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed. The airplane drifted to the left and the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane slid off the side of the runway and collided with terrain. Both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Student/instructed pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR21LA148.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 (go-around). All research papers