No fatalities

23 Jul 2011: MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20K — Cresson, TX

Cresson, TX, United States

On 23 Jul 2011, a MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20K was involved in an aviation accident near Cresson, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s inadequate recovery from a bounced landing and subsequent failure to maintain directional control of the airplane. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a second landing attempt, the aircraft landed hard, bounced, and the pilot lost control, resulting in nose gear collapse and sideways slide off the runway. The aircraft struck obstructions, causing substantial damage.

Event Description

The pilot was performing the second landing attempt when the aircraft touched down hard on the main landing gear and bounced. During the bounce, the pilot lost control, causing the aircraft to touch down hard on the nose landing gear. The nose gear subsequently collapsed, and the aircraft slid sideways off the runway. The aircraft struck obstructions, leading to the collapse of both main landing gear legs.

Damage

The impact resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and the left wing.

Pilot's Remarks

According to the pilot, his airspeed was likely too fast on the first touchdown. He further stated that the accident would not have occurred if he had aborted the landing after the first hard bounce.

Contributing factors

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedPilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained