Accident Overview
On November 18, 2019, at about 1625 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20M, registration N1031M, was substantially damaged during a landing accident at College Park Airport (CGS), College Park, Maryland. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight History
The pilot departed Morris Municipal Airport (C09), Morris, Illinois, around 1315. During the approach to CGS runway 15, a 2,607-foot-long, 60-foot-wide asphalt runway, the winds were variable but light. The airplane cleared trees at the approach end of the runway and descended to the touchdown point. The pilot then reduced engine power and flared the airplane, but it bounced, which the pilot attributed to an unexpected and excessive sink rate. He aborted the landing by applying full engine power and remaining in ground effect. He did not retract the landing gear because he saw no indication of climb, and he did not engage the flap switch over concern that the flaps would retract past the takeoff setting and reduce lift. After a few seconds in ground effect with no climb and realizing the remaining runway was limited, he landed to the left of the runway. The airplane then struck a perimeter fence with the left wing and spun, resulting in the nose and right wing colliding with the fence before the airplane came to rest upright, oriented about 180° from the landing direction.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination of the airplane, which included disassembly of the propeller under the supervision of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Conditions
The recorded weather at CGS at 1615 was: wind from 250° at 5 knots; visibility 10 miles; scattered clouds at 2,700 feet; temperature 8°C; dew point 2°C; altimeter 29.75 inches of mercury.