20130721012149I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20R · Chelan, WA · July 21, 2013

Date
July 21, 2013 · 16:30 local
Place
Chelan, WA
Airport
Chelan
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N9624M
Reported as
Mooney M20R
Reported engine
Continental IO-550
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
537 total231 in this make and model4 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 could not get information from CTAF so overflew to check wind sock. He made an approach to runway 2 from over the lake and through the saddle between the lake and the airfield. After flying through the saddle he was unable to descend fast enough to slow speed and lose altitude. He initially touched down at mid-field but was too fast. The aircraft ballooned and hit back on the runway very nose low and hard. The pilot thought he was about to lose control so he elected to go around and added throttle. At this point he did not want to try another attempt to land at Chelan so he flew to the brewster, WA airport and landed without incident. After landing and parking the aircraft he discovered that the prop tips were bent over and the nose gear shock rubbers were damaged.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT COULD NOT GET INFORMATION FROM CTAF SO OVERFLEW TO CHECK WIND SOCK. HE MADE AN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 2 FROM OVER THE LAKE AND THROUGH THE SADDLE BETWEEN THE LAKE AND THE AIRFIELD. AFTER FLYING THROUGH THE SADDLE HE WAS UNABLE TO DESCEND FAST ENOUGH TO SLOW SPEED AND LOSE ALTITUDE. HE INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN AT MID-FIELD BUT WAS TOO FAST. THE AIRCRAFT BALLOONED AND HIT BACK ON THE RUNWAY VERY NOSE LOW AND HARD. THE PILOT THOUGHT HE WAS ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL SO HE ELECTED TO GO AROUND AND ADDED THROTTLE. AT THIS POINT HE DID NOT WANT TO TRY ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO LAND AT CHELAN SO HE FLEW TO THE BREWSTER, WA AIRPORT AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER LANDING AND PARKING THE AIRCRAFT HE DISCOVERED THAT THE PROP TIPS WERE BENT OVER AND THE NOSE GEAR SHOCK RUBBERS WERE DAMAGED.