- Date
- February 22, 2019, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ridgeland, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N201AZMooney M20J
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190222023659A
- Case key
- 99015
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 flight instructor's failure to retract the flaps during an attempted go-around and his failure to maintain the runway heading, which resulted in a collision with terrain left of the runway.
Findings · 5
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 flight instructor in the retractable-landing gear airplane reported that, during final with student at the controls, there were no abnormal weather conditions, but as the airplane passed over the runway threshold, the airplane encountered "severe wind shear" that he believed to be a "microburst." The airplane then pitched up, rolled left, and the instructor and student added full power to go around. During the attempted go-around, the instructor took control of the airplane with the landing gear down, full flaps, and the propeller full forward. He added that the airplane "simply" did not have enough performance to climb. Subsequently, the airplane drifted left of the runway and impacted a gravel hill. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was variable at 3 knots, temperature 73°F, dew point 68°F, altimeter 30.14 inches of mercury, and few clouds at 500 ft. The airplane landed on runway 3. The pilot reported that the weather at the airport was wind light and variable, visibility 10 miles, and few clouds at 2,000 ft. The instructor reported the wind as calm to light and variable, visibility 10 miles, and few clouds at 5,000 ft. The instructor further reported that, during the go-around, the airplane's configuration with full flaps for landing was not changed. The airplane's Pilot's Operating Handbook, "Go Around (balked landing)," stated that, following establishing a climb, the flaps should be reduced to the takeoff setting.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor in the retractable landing gear airplane reported that, during final, there were no abnormal weather conditions, but as the airplane passed over the runway threshold, the airplane encountered "severe wind shear" that he believed to be a "microburst". The airplane pitched up, rolled left, and they added full power to go around. During the go around the instructor took control of the airplane, and left the landing gear down, full flaps, and propeller full forward. He added that, the airplane "simply" did not have enough performance to climb. Subsequently, the airplane drifted left of the runway and impacted a gravel hill. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was variable at 3 knots, temperature 73°F, dew point 68°F, and altimeter 30.14 inches of mercury and cloud condition was reported as FEW at 500 feet. The airplane landed on runway 3. The pilot reported the weather at the accident airport was wind light and variable not gusting, visibility 10 miles, and FEW clouds at 2,000 feet. The instructor reported the wind as calm to light and variable, visibility 10 miles, and FEW clouds at 5,000 feet. Further, the instructor reported that during the go around the airplane's configuration with full flaps for landing was not changed. The airplane's POH under Go Around (balked landing) states that following establishing a climb the flaps should be reduced to the takeoff setting.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N201AZ
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0423
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 3,354
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B60, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 5, 2018
- Departed
- AQX · Allendale, SC
- Destination
- 3J1 · Ridgeland, SC
- Airport
- 3J1 · Ridgeland-Claude Dean, runway 03, 2,692 × 70 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot
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
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 15, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,174 as pilot in command
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Powered-lift, Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 3, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,521 total · 42 in this make and model · 466 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KNBC, 14 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 17, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.