- Date
- September 12, 2007, 18:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Allentown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6731UMooney M20C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070912022619A
- Case key
- 66693
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.
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 student pilot of the Mooney M20C was returning to land at his home airport following a solo cross country flight. During the approach to the runway, there was a crosswind, and when the airplane touched down it bounced twice. After the third touchdown, the left wing rose while the right wing dropped, and the pilot "didn't straighten [the airplane] out correctly." The airplane subsequently departed the right side of the runway, and the right wing struck a sign. The pilot did not report any mechanical abnormalities associated with the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot of the Mooney M20C, he was returning to land at his home airport following a solo cross country flight. During the approach to the runway, there was a crosswind, and when the airplane touched down it bounced twice. After the third touchdown, the left wing rose while the right wing dropped, and the pilot "didn't straighten out [the airplane] correctly." The airplane subsequently departed the right side of the runway, and the right wing struck a sign. The pilot did not report any mechanical abnormalities associated with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6731U
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2463
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- IPT · Williamsport, PA
- Destination
- ABE · Allentown, PA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ABE · Lehigh Valley Intl. Airport, runway 24, 7,600 × 150 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
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 65 total · 30 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- ABE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6731U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.