On August 8, 2004, a Mooney M20K (registration N11640) was involved in an aviation accident near Jackson Hole, WY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control resulting in a stall/mush. Contributing factors include the windshear, the crosswind and the runway light. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a second landing attempt on runway 19, a pilot experienced a sudden loss of altitude during flare, leading to a runway light strike and substantial damage.
Incident Summary
The pilot of an aircraft reported attempting to land on runway 19 but executed a go-around due to windshear encountered approximately 15 to 20 feet above ground level (AGL). On the second approach, the pilot increased airspeed to compensate for the wind conditions. During the landing flare, the pilot stated that "the bottom dropped out." In response, he increased engine power to initiate another go-around; however, the aircraft continued to sink. The aircraft drifted left and subsequently struck a runway light, resulting in substantial damage.
Environmental Conditions
The Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) reported the wind at 1640 as 210 degrees at 9 knots. The pilot estimated that the winds at the time of the accident were from 250 degrees at 10 to 15 knots.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage after colliding with a runway light. No further damage items were specified.