Summary
A pilot reported a loss of pitch control and limited rudder control after applying power following a touch-and-go landing. The pilot managed pitch attitude using throttle input and performed an emergency landing in a field adjacent to the airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Incident Details
According to the pilot, after the first touch-and-go landing, power was applied and the aircraft assumed an extremely nose-high attitude. The pilot realized he had no pitch control, limited rudder control, and full aileron control. He was able to control pitch attitude with throttle setting and conducted an emergency landing in a field adjacent to the airport, sustaining substantial damage.
Postcrash Examination
Postcrash examination revealed a disconnect in the pitch controls at the aft pitch control rod-end-to-bellcrank connection in the tailcone. Examination of the components showed that the pitch control rod-end eye was missed when the connecting bolt was pushed through the bellcrank side plate holes. When the nut was fitted to the bolt and tightened, the result was a connection that was only a squeezed, friction fit.
Maintenance History
Approximately 12 flight hours before the accident, on October 24, 2000, the aircraft underwent a 100-hour inspection. The following entry was made in the logbook: "Checked all control push rods and rod end bearings. Lubricated Flight Controls." On April 24, 1980, Mooney Aircraft Corporation recognized a potential for a misconnection between the rod end and the bellcrank and promulgated Service Instruction M20-44, which had not been accomplished on this aircraft.