MOONEY M20J

Full Narrative

On December 17, 2025, about 1230 Pacific standard time, a Mooney M20J, N87PM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Silver Springs, Nevada. The pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot stated that the flight was a return trip from Lake Havasu City Airport (HII) to his home airport in Florence, Oregon (6S2). He had flown the route with his wife and dog on multiple previous occasions, and Silver Springs, Nevada (SPZ), was their usual intermediate stop.

The pilot stated that he checked the weather that morning, and it indicated they had an opportunity to fly back that day, with a window of visual conditions at Florence remaining open until 1700. He did not check en route weather beyond reviewing winds aloft information.

After takeoff from Lake Havasu, they climbed to 8,500 ft, and as they flew through the desert he observed numerous dust clouds on the surface. Skies were otherwise clear, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. They discussed whether they should continue but decided that their dog needed a bathroom break and a walk, so they initiated a descent into Silver Springs. They encountered turbulence during the descent, but this was not particularly unusual based on his experience with desert operations.

During the approach, the pilot heard nothing when he selected the automated weather observation system (AWOS) frequency. He reported that he could not see a windsock, so he decided to land on runway 6 because he understood it to be the “calm wind” runway.

The wind was strong and gusting during the approach, and the pilot reported that the airplane touched down about midfield. Almost immediately, he decided to perform a go-around. He pulled back on the control yoke while pushing all the engine controls fully forward. The engine did not respond with the power he was accustomed to, and due to the strong turbulence, he was unable to observe the engine instruments. The airplane would not climb, and each time he pulled back on the control yoke the stall warning horn sounded. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, he began a left turn to avoid buildings, and the airplane settled into a field.

The airplane struck a fence and tumbled, before it came to rest inverted about 2,500 ft northeast of the departure end of runway 6.

A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) current at the time of the accident indicated that the AWOS was out of service. The closest weather-reporting station, at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, located about 25 miles west of SPZ, indicated wind from 270° at 23 knots, gusting to 38 knots.