On July 1, 1989, a Mooney M-20F (registration N7784M) operated by Robert L Mckeever was involved in an aviation accident near Mchenry, MD. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT LANDED HARD AND COLLAPSED THE LANDING GEAR WHEN HE FAILED TO ARREST HIS DESCENT RATE DURING LANDING. AFTERWARDAS HE TRIED TO MAKE A GO-AROUND THE PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN ADEQUATE FLYING SPEED, THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot landing with full flaps at 90 knots encountered wind shear at the runway threshold, resulting in a hard landing and multiple bounces. The landing gear collapsed. A go-around attempt failed due to inability to climb out of ground effect, leading to a stall and ground collision left of the runway.
Approach and Landing
The pilot conducted the landing approach with full flaps deployed at an airspeed of approximately 90 knots. According to the pilot, wind shear was encountered at the runway threshold. The aircraft subsequently landed hard and bounced several times.
Incident Sequence
Following the bounces, the landing gear collapsed. The pilot initiated a go-around but was unable to climb out of ground effect or gain sufficient flying speed. The aircraft stalled and collided with the ground to the left of the runway.
Environmental Conditions
Runway 26 was in use for the landing. Local winds were reported as 260 degrees at 5 knots.