CEN11LA373

NTSB accident investigation · Mooney M20R · Lake In The Hills, IL · June 4, 2011

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 4, 2011, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
Place
Lake In The Hills, IL
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5816PMooney M20R
Defining event
Landing-flare/touchdown: Aerodynamic stall/spin
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report February 6, 2012
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration - DuPage FSDO
FAA report
20110604011869A
Case key
79309

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 improper landing flare and recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the certified flight instructor’s inadequate supervision.

Findings · 4

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.

Performance/control parameters: landing flareAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Incorrect use/operationMooney M20R: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,285 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: airspeedAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedMooney M20R: 2 casesAll aircraft: 1,681 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotMooney M20R: 9 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Action: lack of actionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · Instructor/check pilotMooney M20R: 3 casesAll aircraft: 792 casesProbable cause

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

**This report was modified on July 29, 2013. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was receiving flight instruction to become more comfortable operating it. The accident occurred as the pilot performed a simulated forced landing at the end of an instructional flight. The pilot began the landing flare above the region of ground effect and unintentionally induced an aerodynamic stall after his abrupt aft control yoke input. He increased engine power in response to the stall condition, but the airplane landed hard on the main landing gear in a nose-high attitude. The airplane subsequently bounced and began to veer to the left. The pilot and flight instructor were unsuccessful in regaining control. The airplane departed the runway and went down an embankment into a construction site. The fuselage, firewall, and both wings were substantially damaged during the event. A postaccident examination did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Factual narrative

**This report was modified on July 29, 2013. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** On June 4, 2011, at 1030 central daylight time, a Mooney model M20R airplane, N5816P, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK), Lake in the Hills, Illinois. The pilot and his flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated without a flight plan. The local instructional flight departed from Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport (KJVL), Janesville, Wisconsin, at 1015. The pilot reported that he was attempting a simulated forced landing when the accident occurred. The airplane bounced upon touchdown to which he responded by advancing engine power to initiate an aborted landing. He noted that he was unable to establish a climb as the airplane drifted left off the runway and down an embankment. He reported that after the bounced landing he relinquished control of the airplane to his flight instructor who was also unable to regain control of the airplane. The flight instructor reported that the pilot had recently purchased the accident airplane and was receiving flight instruction to become more comfortable operating the airplane. At the completion of the instructional flight, he asked the pilot to demonstrate a simulated forced landing to runway 26. As the airplane crossed midfield while on the downwind leg to the runway, the pilot reduced engine power to idle and established best glide airspeed as he maneuvered from base to final approach. The flight instructor reported that, after crossing the runway threshold, the pilot began the landing flare above the region of ground effect and unintentionally induced an aerodynamic stall after he "abruptly and quickly" pulled the control yoke aft. The pilot increased engine power in response to the stalled condition, but the airplane landed hard on the main landing gear in a nose-high attitude. The nose wheel subsequently struck the runway resulting in a porpoising effect. The flight instructor noted it was the hardest landing he had ever experienced. The airplane began to veer to the left due to the high engine power setting, but the flight crew's combined application of full right rudder was not successful in regaining directional control. As they unsuccessfully attempted to rotate the airplane for an aborted landing, the airplane departed the left side of the runway into a grassy area before proceeding down an embankment into a construction site. The fuselage, firewall, and both wings were substantially damaged during the event. A postaccident inspection did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The nearest aviation weather observation station with recorded historical weatherinformation was at DuPage Airport (KDPA), about 21.5 miles south of the accident site, which was equipped with an automated surface observing system (ASOS). At 1052, the KDPA ASOS reported the following weather conditions: wind 260 degrees at 8 knots, gusting 14 knots; visibility 8 miles; sky clear; temperature 31 degrees Celsius; dew point 21 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.02 inches of mercury.

Aircraft

Registration
N5816P
Reported as
Mooney M20R
Category
Airplane
Serial number
29-0087
Airframe hours
2,075
Engine
Continental IO-550-G5B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · January 21, 2011
Departed
KJVL · Janesville, WI
Destination
3CK · Lake In The Hills, IL
Airport
3CK · Lake in the Hills Airport, runway 26, 3,801 × 50 ft, asphalt

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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
57
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
January 24, 2011
Seat
Left
Flight hours
260 total · 41 in this make and model · 133 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Role
Flight instructor
Age
41
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
May 1, 2011
Seat
Right
Flight hours
761 total · 648 in this make and model · 688 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
260° at 8 knots, gusting 14
Visibility
8 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
88 °F, dew point 70 °F
Altimeter
30.02 inHg
Observed at
KDPA, 19 nm away

Docket · 14

The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 14, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 22.4 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.