Mooney M20C, N1374W, accident occurred on March 18, 2026, near Aero Valley Airport (52F), Roanoke, Texas

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N1374W

 History of Flight:
On March 18, 2026, at about 1637 local time, a privately-registered Mooney M20C, N1374W, sustained substantial damage in a forced landing near Aero Valley Airport (52F), Roanoke, Texas. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The local flight originated from the airport at 1631 LT.

According to flight-tracking data, the airplane had flown a similar pattern around the airport on March 8, 14, and in the morning of March 18th at 0732 LT. This pattern involved departing, flying a pattern around the airport, landing, and taxiing back to the ramp.

Figure 1: Accident Flight Track

According to an online forum member, the owner was not the pilot flying, but a mechanic. The mechanic reported a loss of engine power on base-to-final and lowered the landing gear, but was unable to reach the runway. According to an eyewitness, the plane hit the ground and spun around on its nose before coming to a stop about a half-mile short of the runway.

According to the FAA: "Aircraft crashed in a pasture after departure due to engine issues."

At the time, the winds were from 170° at 15 knots, gusting 20 knots.

Figure 2: Accident Airplane

- Weather:

METAR KAFW 182053Z 17015G20KT 10SM BKN250 22/06 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP182 T02220056

METAR KAFW 182153Z 18014KT 10SM BKN250 23/04 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP183 T02280044