No fatalities

27 Jan 2013: MOONEY M20J — Warsaw, IN

Warsaw, IN, United States

On 27 Jan 2013, a MOONEY M20J was involved in an aviation accident near Warsaw, IN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and failure to maintain control of the airplane during a go-around maneuver. 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

A pilot reported overshooting the turn to final due to a wind component, leading to a hard landing, porpoising, and a go-around attempt. The airplane veered left, impacting a fuel storage facility. The landing gear collapsed and the airframe sustained substantial damage.

Accident Summary

During a landing approach, the pilot entered a left downwind and allowed a wind component from the right to push the airplane too close to the landing runway, causing an overshoot of the turn to final. The airplane was not aligned with the runway when it struck the ground hard and bounced. The subsequent porpoising resulted in several more bounces as the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted a go-around but never regained control. The right wingtip struck an airport fuel storage facility approximately 350 feet to the left of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright about 50 feet from the initial impact with the facility.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported being unprepared for the violent bouncing from the hard landing and stated that better training would have helped them handle the stress, confusion, and surprise that resulted. The pilot also noted that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure and expressed that they had become complacent after flying the same airplane for six years.

Damage

The landing gear collapsed. Substantial damage occurred to the engine mount, firewall, fuselage, and both wings. A significant fuel spill resulted from the impact, but no postimpact fire occurred.

Contributing factors

Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintainedPilot