No fatalities

16 Aug 2011: MOONEY M20R — JOHN A ROSSI INC — West Chester, PA

West Chester, PA, United States

On 16 Aug 2011, a MOONEY M20R operated by JOHN A ROSSI INC was involved in an aviation accident near West Chester, PA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. 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 gusty approach, a pilot heard stall warning horn, bounced on landing, then initiated a go-around. The aircraft dropped again with stall warning, gear retraction was attempted, but the airplane impacted the runway and slid into grass, sustaining substantial firewall damage.

Incident Details

The pilot reported that during an approach to the runway, winds were gusting. As the aircraft reached the threshold, the stall warning horn sounded. The airplane then dropped to the runway and bounced. Recognizing that the airplane was both airborne and slow, the pilot applied full takeoff power to initiate a go-around.

Pilot Report

During the go-around, the airplane encountered another gust and began to drop again as the stall warning horn sounded. The pilot retracted the landing gear in an attempt to climb, but the airplane impacted the runway and slid into the grass. The pilot reported that winds were variable at 8 knots, gusting to 20 knots. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation were reported.

Aircraft Damage

Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall.

Contributing factors

PilotAirspeed — Not attained/maintainedAngle of attack — Not attained/maintained