N1154K

On May 31, 2000, at 1139 Eastern Daylight Time, a Mooney M20K, N1154K, was substantially damaged during an aborted landing to Runway 11 at the Great Barrington Airport (GBR), Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Albany, New York, approximately 1110. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In a written statement, the pilot said:

"Using the a left traffic pattern I set up for landing on Runway 11. The plane was trimmed for the landing and aligned for the runway. I used full flaps, and the prop in the landing configuration and the fuel flow was at 'rich'. My speed was in the vicinity of 70-75 KIAS. I did feel the wind moving the plane as I approached. The wing wheels touched first and shortly thereafter the plane abruptly pitched upwards and to the left of the runway. The landing was hard and, combined with the effect of wind, pitched the plane upwards. I observed '...how high I pitched, lifted, and aligned to the left of the runway.'

"At that point, not being able to see the runway, and knowing I was to the left, I decided to execute a 'go-around'. I pushed the throttle to the firewall. Not two (2) seconds later I remembered that this engine can not be throttled to the firewall and I efficiently pulled back to 40 inches. I checked the gauge twice within those few seconds to make sure my engine was at max power, 40 inches of manifold. The prop was also checked and was in takeoff/landing configuration. The mixture was full rich. I do not remember looking at the power settings after the power adjustment to 40.

"I felt initially an acceptable climb for the first time period. I was concentrating on leveling the wings and trimming the plane for maximum climb. The airspeed was slowly increasing, with the nose wheel lowered. I brought the flaps to 10 degrees and lifted the wheels. Then I recognized that the engine was not performing. I was not gaining altitude or significant speed. I did not hear any variations in the engine at this time. No warning lights were showing on the instrument or avionics panel stack.

"I approached the tree line and tried to skirt the trees. The engine was not performing... NO POWER. I [what I remember...] turned slightly to the left, knowing that an abrupt or sharp turn, or yolk movement would precipitate a stall. At that point the engine started sounding irregular, the nose dropped - without me moving the yolk, [again as best as I can recall], and I remember the two seconds before impact."

The landing threshold for Runway 11 was displaced 170 feet due to trees at the approach end. The runway surface was elevated above the surrounding terrain.

In a written statement, one witness said he witnessed the accident from the cockpit of his Piper Archer. He said he faced landing traffic for Runway 11 as he taxied on the parallel taxiway. The witness said he first saw the accident airplane on the base leg of the traffic pattern for landing on Runway 11. He said the airplane was on a left base and over flew the final approach course. The witness said the airplane corrected back to the left and once again flew through the course.

According to the witness:

"At this time, I thought he was low for his approach and my senses were alerted to watch. I have to say I wasn't sure if it was just some sort of acrobatic flying or what, but he was definitely low and would not clear the clump of evergreen trees unless he went up! At this point, I stopped on the taxiway well before the holding point. His plane continued to 'weave' through the tree line and just before the front edge of the runway, I know he had to pull up to clear the edge (which is elevated from the grass area to the west). This created a landing ...on his rear left gear and tail. From that point, he bounced and veered left towards my plane. I then heard his engine rev where he was able to turn (veer) away from me.

"As he went past I assumed he was taking off again. He was level, but not gaining any altitude. He crossed the grassy area heading east northeast at what appeared to be a slow and level flight about 40 to 50 [feet] above the ground. I watched as he was approaching the tree line and homes across the road. He flew to the right of the last house and tall pines, then banked left were his left wing touched the ground and sent him into a cartwheel."

In a written statement, a flight instructor said he witnessed the accident from the airport office. He said he heard the pilot announce his intention to land on Runway 11 over the radio, and advised someone in the office where to look to watch the airplane approach. He said:

"I too looked out and saw a Mooney appear from behind [a] hangar, very low and slow. He pitched up hard and struck runway with tail. The nose pitched way up and the right wing rose. (The wind was approximately an 80 to 110 [degree] crosswind at 10 knots [variable] 15 knots). I thought he was about to stall on to an airplane holding short on the taxiway. He applied power, got the nose down, but was having difficulty leveling the wings. As he cleared the Archer holding short, some more semblance of control was gained. I expected him to continue to land but instead he cleaned the plane up, while drifting to the north of the runway.

"By now, he appeared to have regained control, but was not climbing. He was approximately 50 feet agl [above ground level]. As he approached the trees in front of him, he pitched up and demonstrated a classic stall/spin."

In a written statement, the chief pilot of a local aviation corporation described the portions of the accident sequence that he witnessed. He said:

"As I did not see the actual landing, I did see this airplane in a nose high attitude, apply power, and pass over a waiting Piper Archer that was well clear of Runway 11. I saw the aircraft drift to the left and pass very close to the Piper Archer, clearing the Archer and then flying on at 35 to 50 feet altitude on the downwind side of Runway 11 (Wind was from the south to southeast). The wheels and flaps were down and then were retracted. As the aircraft passed by Seekonk Crossroad, the nose came up as the pilot tried to stay clear of the trees. The airplane stalled and rolled to the left nose down and disappeared into the tree line."

According to a report provided by the Great Barrington Police Department:

"[The pilot] reported he was coming in from a northwesterly direction and that the airplane bounced, apparently almost hitting [Piper Archer] who was awaiting takeoff in and area off to the north of the runway. [The pilot] then told me that he gave the plane full power to lift the wheels up. He missed the [Piper Archer] plane but told me that the plane had no power."

Two aviation safety inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site. The inspectors provided notes, diagrams, and telephone interviews to describe the scene. According to the inspectors, the airplane came to rest in wetlands approximately 400 feet beyond, and 1,140 left of the departure end of Runway 11.

Examination of the engine revealed the propeller shaft was fractured at the crankcase. The fracture surfaces were oriented along a 45-degree shear plane. Continuity was established throughout the valve train and powertrain. The fuel-metering "spider" valve on the engine contained fuel and both magnetos produced spark at all spark plugs. Compression was confirmed using the thumb method.

Examination of the cockpit revealed the left fuel gauge displayed a reading of between 25 and 30 gallons. The right fuel gauge was "at bottom peg, no fuel visible." The fuel selector was selected to the right tank.

At the request of the pilot/owner, the airplane's fuel system was re-examined for contaminants or obstructions that may have resulted from a fuel tank sealant repair on the right wing tank that was completed April 24, 2000.

On August 8, 2000, FAA inspectors examined the right fuel tank, and the fuel delivery system. According to one inspector's report:

"An inspection cover was removed from the right side wet wing fuel tank, as this was the tank selected at the time of the accident, to see if any of the tank sealer material was breaking loose and might possibly be able to clog the fuel lines. There was no visible evidence to show that any of the sealer material was loose or disintegrating."

"The main fuel feed line to the fuel pump on the engine was disconnected and low pressure air was applied to the line to verify there was fuel in the line and no blockages. Fuel was present as evidenced by fuel coming out the end of the fuel line at the back of the engine. The fuel line was also disconnected at the input side of the fuel flow meter as well as to the three right side cylinder fuel injectors. Low pressure air was applied at the fuel flow meter input port and fuel flowed through the fuel flow divider and out to the three disconnected fuel injector feed lines. This would indicate fuel supply to the cylinders."

According to the second inspector's statement:

"The results of this inspection confirm the conclusions drawn from the initial inspection conducted on June 1, 2000: fuel was available at the engine and the fuel system did not have a partial or complete blockage which could reduce the power available from the engine."

The pilot reported to the Great Barrington Police that he had approximately 60 gallons of fuel on board the airplane. The police supervised the recovery of the wreckage and its movement to the airport. The police report stated there was no fuel spillage at the scene or during movement of the wreckage.

According to the Mooney M20K Pilot's Operating Handbook, the capacity of each fuel tank was 39.3 gallons, of which 37.8 gallons was usable.

According to the FAA i...