# NTSB LAX00LA352: Mooney M20S, N68FM, San Carlos, CA, September 28, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 27, 2000, 18:20 local (Sep 28, 2000, 01:20 UTC) - Place: San Carlos, CA - Coordinates: 37.490158, -122.260894 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4902&lon=-122.2609&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report July 17, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 50367 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX00LA352 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50367/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA352 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - aborted - porpoise/pilot-induced oscillation - encountered, pilot in command - aborted landing - attempted, pilot in command - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with object, landing - aborted - object - hangar/airport building ## Analysis The pilot's first landing approach to the runway was too high and he performed a go-around. The second approach to the same runway was also too high and the aircraft touched down and began porpoising. After two bounces the pilot attempted to abort the landing; however, the aircraft drifted off the runway to the left and the left wing struck a hangar in the northwest corner of the airport. The aircraft came to rest between two rows of hangars. The pilot reported that he attempted the landing abort after several bounces by placing 'the power to full, verified mixture rich, and placed the wing flaps in the 10 [degree] position.' He said the plane began to veer to the left of the runway and, although he applied right rudder and right aileron, the drift to the left continued. The stall warning horn never sounded prior to the left wingtip hitting the hangar. The pilot also reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On September 27, 2000, at 1820 hours Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20S, N68FM, was substantially damaged by impact with a hangar during an aborted landing at the San Carlos, California, airport. The private pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that was operated by the owner under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed from Prescott, Arizona, at 1445. No flight plan was filed. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, witnesses reported the pilot's first landing approach to runway 30 was too high and the pilot performed a go-around. The second approach to the same runway was also high and the aircraft touched down and began porpoising. After two bounces, it appeared to witnesses that the pilot attempted another go-around; however, the aircraft drifted off the runway to the left and the left wing struck a hangar in the northwest corner of the airport. The aircraft came to rest between two rows of hangars. There was a postcrash fire. The pilot reported that he attempted the go-around after several bounces by placing "the power to full, verified mixture rich, and placed the wing flaps in the 10 [degree] position." He said the plane began to veer to the left of the runway and, although he applied right rudder and right aileron, the drift to the left continued. The stall warning horn never sounded prior to the left wingtip hitting the hangar. The pilot also reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane; however, during the attempted go-around, it didn't feel or sound as if the engine was producing full power. In a telephone interview with the Safety Board investigator, the pilot stated that the flying day had started in San Antonio, Texas, with a fuel stop in Prescott, and then continuation to San Carlos. The en route flying time was 7.5 hours at 8,500 feet, without supplemental oxygen, and he acknowledged that fatigue might have been a factor in the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N68FM](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N68FM-2017-07-20), registration cancelled 2017-07-20, S/N 30-0031, built 1999 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Mooney M20S - Registry model: [Mooney M20S](https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20s) (registry code 5870226) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-550 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-series) (registry code 17042, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30-0031 - Airframe hours: 90 - Engines: Continental IO-550-G 244 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: James Cerna - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 4, 2000, 37 hours before - Departed: PRC, PRESCOTT, AZ - Destination: SQL - Airport: SQL, San Carlos, runway 30, 2,600 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 31; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 230 total, 30 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 10 knots - Visibility: 20 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken - Temperature: 145 °F, dew point 129 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: SQL ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000927014089A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000927014089A), Sep 27, 2000: Mooney M20S, San Carlos, CA, No damage. (-23) N68FM, a Mooney model 220S serial number 30-0031, crashed while landing at San Carlos Airport around 18:30 September 27, 2000. The pilot reported he had… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.