NTSB Factual Report

On March 30, 2001, at 1510 central standard time, a Mooney M20J airplane, N4498H, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a precautionary landing at the Pecos Municipal Airport, Pecos, Texas. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from Phoenix, Arizona, and had a final destination of Venice, Florida. At the time of the accident, the flight was departing Pecos, which was an intermediate fuel stop, and was destined for Henderson, Texas, another intermediate fuel stop.

During a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that he landed at Pecos and added 27 gallons of fuel. He removed a sandwich and a quart of oil from the baggage area. The pilot added the oil to the engine, ate his lunch, called the flight service station for a weather briefing, and filed a VFR flight plan to Henderson. The pilot stated that he held the baggage door handle as he climbed onto the wing. The pilot started the airplane, taxied to runway 14, conducted an engine run-up, and took off. The pilot stated that the takeoff and climb were normal. The airplane was climbing to 5,500 feet when he heard a "loud noise and felt a rush of air." The pilot looked over his shoulder and noted that the baggage door was open. The pilot elected to return to runway 14 at Pecos. The pilot had the traffic pattern altitude written down on a piece of paper; however, it was blown away in the rush of air. He stated that he entered downwind a "little low," and while on downwind, he extended the flaps to 15 degrees and extended the landing gear. He reported that everything appeared normal on base leg; however, when he turned onto final he noticed that he was low. The pilot added power; however, the "aircraft was sinking" and the additional power did not arrest the descent rate. The airplane impacted the ground short of the runway with the right wing low. The right wing, right main landing gear, and the propeller impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest upright on the runway. The pilot attempted to taxi the airplane to the ramp; however, the engine would not produce power, and the airport manager towed the airplane to the ramp.

The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, stated that the right wing spar was bent upward, the right main landing gear door was damaged, one of the propeller blades was curled forward, and both propeller blades were broken loose in the hub. The baggage door was bent at its upper hinge.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to obtain a proper glide path during landing, which resulted in the airplane's impact with terrain short of the runway. Contributory factors were the open baggage door and the pilot's diverted attention to the open door.