On 27 Jun 2015, a MOONEY M20R NO SERIES operated by Elizabeth C Tyler-Kabara was involved in an aviation accident near West Mifflin, PA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during landing, which resulted in a bounce and loss of control during landing, followed by a runway excursion, and collision with terrain during an attempt to abort the landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a landing attempt, the airplane bounced, the pilot elected to abort, and the airplane drifted left when power was applied. While retracting flaps, airspeed was insufficient, causing the right wing to strike the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.
Landing Attempt
The pilot reported that during the initial touchdown, the airplane bounced. Following the bounce, the pilot decided to abort the landing.
Aborted Landing
When power was applied for the go-around, the airplane drifted to the left of the runway. The pilot stated that she retracted the first notch of flaps, but the airplane did not have sufficient airspeed at that moment.
Wing Strike
As a result of the low airspeed, the airplane descended and the right wing impacted the ground. The impact caused substantial damage to the right wing.
Post-Accident Report
The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.