Mooney M20J
Ridgeland, SC — February 22, 2019
Event Information
| Date | February 22, 2019 |
| Event Type | ACC |
| NTSB Number | GAA19CA144 |
| Event ID | 20190222X55914 |
| Location | Ridgeland, SC |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 32.49417, -80.99111 |
| Airport | RIDGELAND-CLAUDE DEAN |
| Highest Injury | NONE |
Aircraft
| Make | Mooney |
| Model | M20J |
| Category | AIR |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Aircraft Damage | SUBS |
Conditions
| Light Condition | DAYL |
| Weather | VMC |
Injuries
| Fatal | 0 |
| Serious | 0 |
| Minor | 0 |
| None | 2 |
| Total Injured | 0 |
Event Location
Probable Cause
The flight instructor's failure to retract the flaps during an attempted go-around and his failure to maintain the runway heading, which resulted in a collision with terrain left of the runway.
Full Narrative
The flight instructor in the retractable landing gear airplane reported that, during final, there were no abnormal weather conditions, but as the airplane passed over the runway threshold, the airplane encountered "severe wind shear" that he believed to be a "microburst". The airplane pitched up, rolled left, and they added full power to go around. During the go around the instructor took control of the airplane, and left the landing gear down, full flaps, and propeller full forward. He added that, the airplane "simply" did not have enough performance to climb. Subsequently, the airplane drifted left of the runway and impacted a gravel hill.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing.
The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The automated weather observation system about 14 nautical miles from the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was variable at 3 knots, temperature 73°F, dew point 68°F, and altimeter 30.14 inches of mercury and cloud condition was reported as FEW at 500 feet. The airplane landed on runway 3.
The pilot reported the weather at the accident airport was wind light and variable not gusting, visibility 10 miles, and FEW clouds at 2,000 feet. The instructor reported the wind as calm to light and variable, visibility 10 miles, and FEW clouds at 5,000 feet.
Further, the instructor reported that during the go around the airplane's configuration with full flaps for landing was not changed. The airplane's POH under Go Around (balked landing) states that following establishing a climb the flaps should be reduced to the takeoff setting.
About This NTSB Record
This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.