- Date
- July 3, 2011, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Washington Island, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2234XMooney M20S
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 6, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110703013119A
- Case key
- 81035
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 maintain aircraft control during the landing and his delayed remedial action to abort the landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot landed the airplane using a short field technique which he had recently practiced with his flight instructor. During the landing roll, the airplane's wheels rolled through some potholes causing the airplane to become airborne again. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle and retracting the flaps to the takeoff position. However, with full throttle and full aft elevator, the airplane would not climb and settled back down onto the ground. The airplane veered to the left and impacted a ditch, which tore off the landing gear, and substantially damaged the empennage and horizontal stabilizer. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane. The pilot reported he was late in initiating the aborted landing procedure.
Factual narrative
The pilot landed the airplane using the "short field technique" which he had recently practiced with his instructor. During the landing roll, the airplane's wheels rolled through some potholes causing the airplane to become airborne again. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle and retracting the flaps to the takeoff position. However, with full throttle and full aft elevator, the airplane would not climb and settled back down onto the ground. The airplane veered to the left and went through a small ditch, which tore off the landing gear. The airplane continued to slide along the ground until finally coming rest, adjacent to a road near the airport perimeter edge. A postaccident examination of the airplane showed the empennage was buckled and the horizontal stabilizer was partially separated. There were no mechanical anomalies or issues noted with the airplane. The pilot reported he was late in initiating the aborted landing procedure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2234X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-0001
- Airframe hours
- 1,818
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- On File
- Registered owner
- Daniel Folk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 2011
- Departed
- C16 · Urbana, IL
- Destination
- 2P2 · Washington Island, WI
- Airport
- 2P2 · Washington Island Airport, runway 14, 2,230 × 150 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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 11, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,190 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 2,190 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 3, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.