NTSB WPR26LA009 — 2025-10-07 · Watsonville, California, United States

Current FAA registration · N6814N

Make / Model: MOONEY M20C
Year of manufacture: 1968 · 57 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING HO-360 (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19680711
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A909DF

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N6814N Mooney M20C None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to program avionics during taxi, resulting in an inadvertent throttle input and collision with a hangar.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the airplane reported that while taxiing for departure he reached over to enter navigation information into the GPS, which was mounted on the right-side control yoke. While moving his hand back to the left side yoke, he inadvertently advanced the throttle forward. Subsequently, the airplane accelerated forward and impacted a hangar, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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.

— Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Towing and taxiing-Taxiing-Incorrect use/operation
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
— Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Powerplant parameters-Incorrect use/operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_WPR26LA009.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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