- Date
- July 4, 2002, 10:49 local (14:49 UTC)
- Place
- Ocean City, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N58166Mooney M20J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20020704018569A
- Case key
- 55169
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 recovery from a bounced landing, and his inadequate compensation for wind. A factor was a wind gust.
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 overflew the airport and entered a left downwind. He aborted his first landing attempt because his airspeed was too high. During the second attempt, he landed hard, the airplane bounced, and the pilot added power. A gust of wind pushed the airplane to the left, and the pilot added full power to go around. The airplane continued to the left, the left wing contacted sawgrass and the airplane spun around. The airplane came to a full stop, upright, facing the opposite direction of travel.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 2002, at 1049 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N58166, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during an aborted landing at Ocean City Municipal Airport (26N), Ocean City, New Jersey. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Chester County Airport (40N), Coatesville, Pennsylvania, about 1000. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he overflew the airport, then entered a left downwind for landing on runway 06. The wind was from the east, and the windsock was perpendicular to the runway. He aborted his first landing attempt because his airspeed was too high, then re-entered the traffic pattern for landing on the same runway.
During the pilot's second attempt, the airspeeds were perfect, and the wind was not a factor. He touched down "past the numbers" at 65 knots. Because the landing was hard, the airplane bounced, so he added power. He then felt a gust of wind pushing him to the left, so he added full power to go around. The torque pulled the airplane to the left, the left wing touched the sawgrass, and the airplane spun around. The airplane came to a full stop, upright, facing the opposite direction of travel.
Two airport employees witnessed the accident. They each stated that the airplane touched down, and made a "sharp", "sudden" turn to the left, off the west side of the runway.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He reported approximately 260 hours of flight experience, 40 hours of which were in the Mooney.
When questioned about the performance and handling of the airplane, the pilot said that the airplane performed normally.
The weather reported at the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), 11 miles northeast of Ocean City, included winds from 010 degrees at 5 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58166
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1588
- Engine
- Lycoming 10-360-A3B60, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Debonaire Flyers Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 40N · Coatesville, PA
- Destination
- 26N · Ocean City, NJ
- Airport
- 26N · Ocean City Municipal Airport, runway 06, 2,973 × 60 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 5, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 264 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- ACY, 11 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 789 KB 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.