Accident Sequence
On June 19, 2018, at 1350 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20J, registration N201FD, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a missed approach to runway 5 at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport (EQY), Monroe, North Carolina. The private pilot was not injured, and the pilot-rated passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed Jim Hamilton L. B. Owens Airport (CUB), Columbia, South Carolina, about 1245. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to practice instrument approaches at three airports before returning to CUB. The pilot-rated passenger, who was not instrument rated, accompanied him as a safety pilot.
According to the pilot, after completing the ILS RWY 5 approach nearly to decision altitude, he initiated a missed approach with a climbing right turn. At about 600 feet above ground level (agl), the engine suddenly began to falter. The pilot checked the mixture, throttle, propeller, and fuel pump settings and then turned left to attempt a forced landing on runway 23. He maneuvered over trees and buildings toward the runway just above stall speed. As the airplane neared the landing surface at about 270° heading and 8 ft agl, it stalled, landed hard on the paved surface, and continued into the grass between the runway and parallel taxiway.
The pilot-rated passenger provided a consistent account. He stated that prior to the approach, the pilot consulted his checklist. At the end of the approach, he estimated the airplane was 200 ft above the runway but not less than 100 ft. After full power was applied and a climbing right turn initiated at about 45° off runway heading, the airplane climbed at 85–90 knots and 1,000 ft/min for about 10 seconds before the engine went to idle. The pilot declared an emergency and pushed the throttle and mixture full forward. He noted that they had just enough energy to nearly complete a 180° turn from the point of power loss. The airplane stalled at 6–8 ft agl and hit the edge of the runway at about a 45° angle, wings level, skidding into the grass.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical was issued March 20, 2017. He reported 772 total flight hours, with 137 in the accident make and model.
The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed April 4, 2018, at 5,391 total aircraft hours. According to the owner's manual, the published stall speed with flaps retracted was 63 knots, and the best glide speed at 2,500 lb was 88 knots.
Recorded Data
A JPI Engine Data Monitor recorded engine parameters at 6-second intervals and GPS position/altitude at varying intervals. The GPS track showed the airplane at 965 ft, about 0.8 miles from the runway threshold, aligned with the centerline, when a full-power climb was initiated along the right side of the 7,001-ft runway. About 25 seconds later, over the paved surface about 0.2 miles prior to the displaced threshold at 1,370 ft, fuel flow and RPM decreased rapidly (from 16 GPH to 6 GPH and from 2,600 RPM to 2,000 RPM). The climb stopped, and the airplane entered a descending right turn. The last GPS position was recorded about 3,200 ft down the runway, 1,100 ft right of centerline, at 1,023 ft. Recorded data then ended, likely due to the GPS update rate.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of photographs revealed substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Following the accident, under FAA supervision, an engine start was attempted at EQY. The engine rotated but did not start. Compression was confirmed on each cylinder, fuel delivery was confirmed, and spark was confirmed at certain plugs. Subsequent attempts were also unsuccessful.
An NTSB investigator later examined the airplane and attempted an engine start using the aircraft's own battery and fuel system. Both wing tanks were full. After using a flooded engine procedure (mixture off, throttle full forward), the engine turned over 7–10 times and started. The mixture was then placed full forward, and the engine ran at idle for several minutes. The RPM was increased to about 2,000 RPM, and the engine ran well. It was stopped and restarted several times, running smoothly each time.
Weather
At 1353, weather recorded at EQY included scattered clouds at 7,000 ft, variable winds at 4 knots, temperature 36°C, dew point 19°C, and altimeter setting 29.96 inHg.