20210505005129I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20K · Chandler, AZ · May 5, 2021

Date
May 5, 2021 · 10:00 local
Place
Chandler, AZ
Airport
Steller Airpark
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N624GW
Reported as
Mooney M20K
Reported engine
Continental
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
300 total35 in this make and model35 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.

Contacted privacy data omittedoperator of this aircraft. Conducted an over the phone interview with privacy data omitted. I validated that he was the pilot of this aircraft at the time of this incident. I also verified that there were no passengers onboard of this aircraft when this event occurred. I asked privacy data omitted what happened that led to this incident and the following explanation he provided.

He had departed cedar city Utah on may 5 with a final arrival destination to Steller air park, P19 located in Chandler AZ. The flight to Arizona was uneventful. He arrived at P19 on or about 9:50AM local time. During landing, according to privacy data omitted, the aircraft bounced off the runway and he felt the prop struck the ground. As he went to advance the power lever, the aircraft nosed over slightly with the prop striking the ground a second time causing the engine to stop. The aircraft slid several feet and came to a stop. I asked privacy data omitted what the damages were to the aircraft. He explained visually the nose gear had bent back slightly however not enough to cause damage to the bottom of the fuselage or engine cowl. I asked if he was injured and replied no.

Received witness statement from privacy data omitted who privacy data omitted.

According to privacy data omitted witness statement dated 05/05/ 2021, he observed the following:

N624GW was on short and final for landing on runway 17. The gear on this aircraft appeared to be down in the normal landing configuration. The aircraft nose wheel was the first to make contact with the runway after the landing flare. The aircraft nose wheel bounced off the runway and the aircraft nose pitched up. The aircraft then rose back into the air a few feet above the runway. The aircraft again, nose pitched down to a more nose down attitude than it did during the first bounce. The aircraft bounced off the runway a second time causing the nose of the aircraft to pitch up and rising a few feet higher that during the first bounce. The aircraft nose wheel of the aircraft again contacted the runway for the third time. The witness stated that on the third event of the aircraft bouncing off the runway, it was then he heard the prop strike the ground. He continued to watch the aircraft nose pitch-up again, approximately ten feet above the runway. Then the aircraft nose pitched down to a more nose down attitude than the previous bounces. He noticed the nose gear on the aircraft partially collapsed causing the aircraft propeller to strike the runway for a second time. Then he heard the engine accelerate to a higher power setting as if it was near the full throttle position. The aircraft then continued along the runway 17 for approximately 1500 feet at the high power setting. Then the engine stopped. The aircraft came to a stop near the departure end of runway 17.

As the FAA filed it

CONTACTED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^OPERATOR OF THIS AIRCRAFT. CONDUCTED AN OVER THE PHONE INTERVIEW WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. I VALIDATED THAT HE WAS THE PILOT OF THIS AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT. I ALSO VERIFIED THAT THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ONBOARD OF THIS AIRCRAFT WHEN THIS EVENT OCCURRED. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHAT HAPPENED THAT LED TO THIS INCIDENT AND THE FOLLOWING EXPLANATION HE PROVIDED.

HE HAD DEPARTED CEDAR CITY UTAH ON MAY 5 WITH A FINAL ARRIVAL DESTINATION TO STELLER AIR PARK, P19 LOCATED IN CHANDLER AZ. THE FLIGHT TO ARIZONA WAS UNEVENTFUL. HE ARRIVED AT P19 ON OR ABOUT 9:50AM LOCAL TIME. DURING LANDING, ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED OFF THE RUNWAY AND HE FELT THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND. AS HE WENT TO ADVANCE THE POWER LEVER, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER SLIGHTLY WITH THE PROP STRIKING THE GROUND A SECOND TIME CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP. THE AIRCRAFT SLID SEVERAL FEET AND CAME TO A STOP. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHAT THE DAMAGES WERE TO THE AIRCRAFT. HE EXPLAINED VISUALLY THE NOSE GEAR HAD BENT BACK SLIGHTLY HOWEVER NOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE OR ENGINE COWL. I ASKED IF HE WAS INJURED AND REPLIED NO.

RECEIVED WITNESS STATEMENT FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITNESS STATEMENT DATED 05/05/ 2021, HE OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING:

N624GW WAS ON SHORT AND FINAL FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 17. THE GEAR ON THIS AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE DOWN IN THE NORMAL LANDING CONFIGURATION. THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL WAS THE FIRST TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY AFTER THE LANDING FLARE. THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL BOUNCED OFF THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSE PITCHED UP. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROSE BACK INTO THE AIR A FEW FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN, NOSE PITCHED DOWN TO A MORE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE THAN IT DID DURING THE FIRST BOUNCE. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED OFF THE RUNWAY A SECOND TIME CAUSING THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO PITCH UP AND RISING A FEW FEET HIGHER THAT DURING THE FIRST BOUNCE. THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL OF THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN CONTACTED THE RUNWAY FOR THE THIRD TIME. THE WITNESS STATED THAT ON THE THIRD EVENT OF THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCING OFF THE RUNWAY, IT WAS THEN HE HEARD THE PROP STRIKE THE GROUND. HE CONTINUED TO WATCH THE AIRCRAFT NOSE PITCH-UP AGAIN, APPROXIMATELY TEN FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THEN THE AIRCRAFT NOSE PITCHED DOWN TO A MORE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE THAN THE PREVIOUS BOUNCES. HE NOTICED THE NOSE GEAR ON THE AIRCRAFT PARTIALLY COLLAPSED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY FOR A SECOND TIME. THEN HE HEARD THE ENGINE ACCELERATE TO A HIGHER POWER SETTING AS IF IT WAS NEAR THE FULL THROTTLE POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT THEN CONTINUED ALONG THE RUNWAY 17 FOR APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET AT THE HIGH POWER SETTING. THEN THE ENGINE STOPPED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP NEAR THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 17.