- Date
- May 17, 1997, 16:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Madisonville, KY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N321JLMooney M20M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970517046209A
- Case key
- 28198
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, and inadequate supervision of the CFI, which resulted in a stall and subsequent hard landing.
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/owner was receiving instruction from a certificated flight instructor (CFI), and was practicing short field landings. They had completed one short field landing successfully using a final approach speed of 75 knots. The owner said the CFI told him on the second approach to use 70 knots, as published in a revised pilot operating handbook. During this approach the airplane landed hard, 30 feet short of the runway.
Factual narrative
On May 17, 1997, at 1610 eastern daylight time, N321JL, a Mooney M20M, was substantially damaged during a hard landing on runway 23 at the Madisonville Airport, Madisonville, Kentucky. The certificated commercial pilot/owner and a flight instructor were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 and had originated from Owensboro, Kentucky.
According to the pilot/owner, the purpose of the flight was to practice short field landings with a certificated flight instructor (CFI). He stated that the first landing was completed successfully; however, during the second landing, the airplane touched down hard 20-30 feet short of the runway, striking the tail of the airplane. The owner said, "...an attempt at recovery was made by applying full power, but the airplane would not climb, but instead traveled uncontrollably to the left, over the parallel taxiway and toward the FBO buildings... ."
According to the owner, 75 knots was the airspeed he used for the first, successful, short field landing. He said the instructor told him to use the maximum performance landing speed as published in the Pilot Operating Handbook, revised in 1992, which called for a final approach speed of 70 knots.
The owner said, on final approach, he slowed the airplane to 70 knots. When approximately 50 feet above the ground and 50-60 feet before the threshold of the runway, the airplane experienced a sudden uncontrolled descent without sufficient warning.
The owner reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N321JL
- Reported as
- Mooney M20M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-0162
- Airframe hours
- 383
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-AF1A, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James P O'Rourke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 13, 1996 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- 2I0 · KY
- Airport
- 2I0 · Madisonville Muni, runway 23, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,811 total · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- 2I0
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.