On October 31, 2001, a Mooney M20S (registration N1008R) was involved in an aviation accident near Buckhannon, WV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's improper decision to continue the landing and subsequent mishandling of the go-around, which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the landing gear. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A flight instructor attempted a go-around after floating during landing, but the aircraft struck the runway heavily, resulting in collapsed landing gear.
What happened
During the final phase of a landing maneuver, the certified flight instructor (CFI) initiated a pull-back on the control yoke to flare the aircraft for touchdown. The airplane continued to float along the runway surface rather than settling onto the pavement as intended. Observing that the remaining runway distance was insufficient to complete a safe stop, the CFI decided to abort the landing.
At this critical moment, the instructor reported sensing a heavy sink rate combined with an excessive flared pitch attitude. In response to these conditions, full throttle was applied to initiate a go-around. However, before the aircraft could gain sufficient lift, it impacted the runway surface with significant force. The impact resulted in the collapse of the landing gear assembly.
The investigation
The primary mechanical failure identified was the structural collapse of the landing gear. This damage occurred directly as a result of the hard landing associated with the aborted approach. No other mechanical anomalies were noted in the provided account.
Probable cause
The flight instructor's improper decision to continue the landing and subsequent mishandling of the go-around, which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the landing gear.