- Date
- July 19, 1993, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cooperstown, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5817PMooney M20J
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930719024459A
- Case key
- 8793
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point and his delay in initiating a go-around. Other related factors were the rain and the wet runway.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot made three unsuccessful attempts to land on runway 2. A witness reported that on the fourth landing, the pilot landed long with about 500 feet of runway remaining. He stated that the pilot tried to go around with 30 feet of runway left. The pilot stated that his last approach appeared to be satisfactory, as his airspeed was 70 knots and he touched down 1/4 way down the 2300 foot grass runway. He stated that he raised his flaps, applied the brakes, but the brakes locked up and the airplane started to skid. He reported that he attempted to go around, but he did not have enough airspeed; he raised the nose to clear terrain, and the airplane stalled, impacted the ground and exited onto a road. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction,and the accident could have been prevented if he had aborted the landing and diverted to another airport with better conditions.
Factual narrative
On Monday, July 19, 1993, at about 1400 eastern daylight time, N5817P, a Mooney M20J, operated by K L I Aero Services Inc. of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, and piloted by Gary Wolf of Lauderhill, Florida, crashed during landing at Cooperstown Westville Airport, Cooperstown, New York. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The flight was operated under 14 CFR 91 and originated in Albany, New York.
The pilot made three unsuccessful attempts to land on runway 2. A witness reported that the pilot landed long with about 500 feet of runway remaining. He also stated that the pilot with 30 feet of runway remaining tried to go around.
The pilot stated that his last approach seemed to be satisfactory. He stated that his airspeed was 70 knots and he touched down 1/4 way down the runway. "Raised flaps, applied brakes. Plane continued down runway skidding and locked brakes. When end of runway in view, attempted go- around. Unable to obtain speed...lowered nose to gain speed and then raised to avoid terrain. Stalled and dropped." The pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction and the accident could have been prevented if he had aborted the landing and diverted to an alternate airport with better conditions.
According to an FAA inspector, the pilot was landing on a 2300 foot long, wet grass strip. The pilot reported that he applied the brakes, but he was unable to stop and exited the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5817P
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1591
- Airframe hours
- 2,133
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- K L I Aero Services Inc.
- Registered owner
- K L I Aero Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 1993 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- Albany, NY
- Airport
- NY54 · Cooperstown Westville, runway 2, 2,300 × 50 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 202 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 2.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UCA, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.