- Date
- July 23, 2001, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mitchellville, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4223HMooney M20J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 3, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20010723019049A
- Case key
- 52810
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 maintain control of the airplane during an aborted landing, and her delay in remedial action. A factor related to the accident was the excessive trim setting.
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
While landing, the pilot began to flare the airplane about 20-30 feet above the runway. The CFI informed the pilot that they were too high and he should lower the nose; however, the pilot did not respond. Before the CFI could take corrective action, the airplane touched down hard on the main landing gear, and bounced back into the air. Deciding that she wanted to see if the pilot could regain control of the airplane, the CFI elected not to take corrective action. The pilot added full power and pulled back on the yoke until the airplane entered a stall. The CFI assumed the flight controls and pushed forward on the control yoke with both hands. The left wing of the airplane then struck the ground, and the CFI aborted the go-around. The airplane touched down hard on the runway again, collapsing the right main and nose landing gear, departed the left side of the runway, and came to rest in a grass field.
Factual narrative
On July 23, 2001, about 1745 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N4223H, was substantially damaged while landing at the Freeway Airport, Mitchellville, Maryland. The certificated private pilot, and certified flight instructor (CFI) were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the CFI, the pilot was receiving instruction on high performance airplanes. While landing on runway 18, the pilot, who was at the controls, began to flare the airplane about 20-30 feet above the runway. The CFI informed the pilot that they were too high and he should lower the nose; however, the pilot did not respond. Before the CFI could take corrective action, the airplane touched down hard on the main landing gear, and bounced back into the air. Deciding that she wanted to see if the pilot could regain control of the airplane, the CFI elected not to take corrective action. The pilot added full power and pulled back on the yoke until the airplane entered a stall. The CFI assumed the flight controls and pushed forward on the control yoke with both hands. When the CFI took her left hand off the control yoke to adjust the trim setting, the nose of the airplane began to rise again, and the airplane entered another stall. With the trim in the "full nose up" position, the only way for the CFI to keep the airplane out of a stall condition was to push on the control yoke with both hands. The left wing of the airplane then struck the ground, and the CFI aborted the go-around. The airplane touched down hard on the runway again, and the right main and nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, and came to rest in a grass field.
The CFI reported that the pilot had accumulated about 3 hours of total flight experience in the accident airplane. The pilot had also accumulated about 8 landings, and demonstrated go-around procedures in the past.
The winds reported at a nearby airport, at 1755, were from 240 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4223H
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0668
- Airframe hours
- 1,850
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Malcom W. Houston
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 2001 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- ESN · Easton, MD
- Destination
- W00 · Mitchellville, MD
- Airport
- W00 · Freeway Airport, runway 18, 2,425 × 30 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 10, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 50 in this make and model · 507 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 130 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 162 total · 2 in this make and model · 87 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- ADW, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.