20110816017769A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Mooney M20R · West Chester, PA · August 16, 2011

Date
August 16, 2011 · 14:00 local
Place
West Chester, PA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N121RP
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA11CA460
Reported as
Mooney M20R
Reported engine
Continental IO-550 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,849 total654 in this make and model46 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot was on a visual approach and landing to runway 9 at koqn in gusty wind conditions (reported by the pilot as 340 T0 050 degrees, 5 to 10 knots, gusting 15-20 knots). After crossing the threshold, pilot heard the stall warning followed by a loss of lift. A hard landing followed by a nose high bounce resulted. The pilot attempted a go around by adding full power and retracting the gear, but the aircraft settled back to the ground, impacting in a nose low, right wing low attitude. It went off the runway to the right and slid into the grass.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WAS ON A VISUAL APPROACH AND LANDING TO RUNWAY 9 AT KOQN IN GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS (REPORTED BY THE PILOT AS 340 T0 050 DEGREES, 5 TO 10 KNOTS, GUSTING 15-20 KNOTS). AFTER CROSSING THE THRESHOLD, PILOT HEARD THE STALL WARNING FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF LIFT. A HARD LANDING FOLLOWED BY A NOSE HIGH BOUNCE RESULTED. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A GO AROUND BY ADDING FULL POWER AND RETRACTING THE GEAR, BUT THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED BACK TO THE GROUND, IMPACTING IN A NOSE LOW, RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE. IT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT AND SLID INTO THE GRASS.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.