ERA20CA264

NTSB accident investigation · Mooney M20J · Block Island, RI · July 18, 2020

Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · Data collectionFinal report
Date
July 18, 2020, 18:05 local (22:05 UTC)
Place
Block Island, RI
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N58066Mooney M20J
Defining event
Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
FAA/FSDO
FAA report
20200718010899A
Case key
101698

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

A hard landing and subsequent loss of control.

Findings · 2

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.

Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotMooney M20J: 36 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: landing flareAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedMooney M20J: 6 casesAll aircraft: 1,285 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

Following an uneventful flight, the pilot was landing the airplane at the destination airport. When the airplane touched down, he “experienced and issue” with the right main landing gear. The airplane then veered off the right-side of the runway. The pilot applied corrective rudder inputs to bring the airplane back toward the runway centerline, but it continued past the centerline and off the left side of the runway. The pilot then applied the brakes but found that there was “no action.” The airplane came to rest off the left side of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the nose landing gear had sheared from the fuselage and the main landing gear had collapsed. The propeller was damaged, and the lower fuselage was substantially damaged. The right main landing gear trunnion rod was pushed up and through the top of the right wing. Further examination of the right main landing gear revealed the two front support tubes for the landing gear's shock absorbers were both broken at the base where they attach to the shock absorber assembly. The brakes appeared new and no defects were noted. The right tire spun freely and exhibited two flat spots, one of which was through the tire cord, rupturing it. The tire also displayed rubbing and scuffing marks that were off-axis relative to the direction of travel. Skid marks on the runway were consistent with the damage observed on the right main landing gear tire. Given the damage observed to the right main landing gear, it is likely that the pilot landed the airplane hard. The damage to the landing gear likely resulted in the subsequent loss of control and runway excursion.

Aircraft

Registration
N58066
Reported as
Mooney M20J (No Series)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
24-1541
Built
1985
Airframe hours
7,271
Engine
Lycoming IO-360-A3B68, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Unicorn Aviation Inc
Registered owner
Unicorn Aviation Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · March 1, 2020 · 9 hours before
Departed
HFD · Hartford, CT
Destination
BID · Block Island, RI
Airport
BID · Block Island State, runway 28, 2,502 × 100 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS

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
60
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
January 4, 2019
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
550 total · 391 in this make and model · 550 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
220° at 9 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 70 °F
Altimeter
30.01 inHg
Observed at
BID

Docket · 3

The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 18.4 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.