20170927019919I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20J · Georgetown, TX · September 27, 2017

Date
September 27, 2017 · 16:30 local
Place
Georgetown, TX
Airport
Georgetown
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N217RW
Reported as
Mooney M20J
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 SER A&C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
650 total8 in this make and model50 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 airman was returning from avionics maintenance on a flight from tuple, temple, Texas to gad, Georgetown, Texas. During the return the airman noted gathering clouds and requested an instrument approach to runway 18 to gad and test the newly installed avionics. The airman recently purchased and was new to this airplane. The avionics were new and he had little experience with them. This lack of experience, lack of proficiency in type and avionics and short duration of the flight caused a loss of situational awareness and interfered with proper checklist usage. The airman flared to land after the instrument approach and initiated a go around when he heard the propeller make contact with the runway. In the traffic pattern he insured the gear selector switch was down and gear down indicated "down and safe" and executed a crosswind landing without further incident. The aircraft was taken to a local shop for teardown, inspection and repair.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN WAS RETURNING FROM AVIONICS MAINTENANCE ON A FLIGHT FROM TUPLE, TEMPLE, TEXAS TO GAD, GEORGETOWN, TEXAS. DURING THE RETURN THE AIRMAN NOTED GATHERING CLOUDS AND REQUESTED AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO RUNWAY 18 TO GAD AND TEST THE NEWLY INSTALLED AVIONICS. THE AIRMAN RECENTLY PURCHASED AND WAS NEW TO THIS AIRPLANE. THE AVIONICS WERE NEW AND HE HAD LITTLE EXPERIENCE WITH THEM. THIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE, LACK OF PROFICIENCY IN TYPE AND AVIONICS AND SHORT DURATION OF THE FLIGHT CAUSED A LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND INTERFERED WITH PROPER CHECKLIST USAGE. THE AIRMAN FLARED TO LAND AFTER THE INSTRUMENT APPROACH AND INITIATED A GO AROUND WHEN HE HEARD THE PROPELLER MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY. IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN HE INSURED THE GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH WAS DOWN AND GEAR DOWN INDICATED "DOWN AND SAFE" AND EXECUTED A CROSSWIND LANDING WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL SHOP FOR TEARDOWN, INSPECTION AND REPAIR.