What happened
On June 6, 196 and, a Mooney Mark 20-B, registration HB-DUM, was involved in a landing accident at the Montreux-Rennaz aerodrome. The aircraft, carrying the pilot and three passengers, departed at 15:54 and returned for an approach to runway 01 approximately 18 minutes later.
During the approach, the aircraft was in a high pitch attitude and was flying very low over an unusable section of the runway caused by ongoing construction. To avoid contacting the ground prematurely, the pilot applied power. The aircraft subsequently made a heavy landing approximately 200 to 250 meters past the touchdown point, causing it to bounce. Upon a second contact with the ground, the aircraft veered left, leaving the paved surface and traveling onto soft, rutted terrain. The aircraft eventually became bogged down, resulting in damage to the nose wheel and the variable-pitch propeller.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's flight experience, the aircraft's weight and balance, and the operational conditions of the airfield. Investigators noted that the pilot had a limited total flight time of approximately 61 hours and had not flown the Mooney type for several months prior to the accident. The investigation also reviewed the state of the Montreux-Rennaz airfield, which was undergoing paving work that had significantly reduced the usable runway length and width.
Findings
Several contributing factors were identified that led to the loss of control:
- The pilot possessed limited flight experience and had a very low number of hours specifically on the Mooney type, having undergone a seven-month hiatus from flying prior to recent training.
- The aircraft was operating at a high weight, near its maximum capacity, due to the inclusion of three passengers.
- The airfield conditions were highly restrictive; construction work had rendered the first 200 meters of the runway unusable and reduced the effective width of the landing area.
- The pilot's corrective actions during the landing phase were observed to be late and poorly coordinated.