Pilot Debrief

MOONEY M20J near Cedar Key, FL — 2017-04-28

Final reportGAA17CA211
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Date
2017-04-28
Location
Cedar Key, FL, USA
Airport
CDK
Aircraft
MOONEY M20J
Registration
N1157N
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to follow the manufacturer’s go-around procedure, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, during the landing roll, he had traveled about halfway down the 2,355 ft-long runway when he realized that a go-around was going to be required. He could not recall the airplane's airspeed when the airplane touched down on the runway that was located steps from the ocean. However, he did recall that he initiated the go-around by applying full throttle, retracting the flaps to 0, and rotating at 62 knots. The airplane "lifted off but did not gain altitude." The pilot lowered the nose to accelerate, but the airplane stalled and impacted the water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar and aileron. According to the manufacturer's Pilot's Operating Handbook, the go-around procedure is: CAUTION To minimize control wheel forces during go-around, timely nose-down trimming is recommended to counteract nose up pitching moment as power is increased and/or flap retraction. Power…..Full Throttle/2700 RPM Mixture…..Full Rich Airspeed…..65 KIAS Wing Flaps…..Takeoff position after climb established Trim…..Nose Down (to reduce control forces) Airspeed…..Accelerate to 76 KIAS Landing Gear…..-Retract Wing Flaps…..Retract Cowl Flaps…..Open Airspeed…..Accelerate to 86 KIAS The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have initiated go-around earlier to avoid stall.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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  • 2 docket documents
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Docket documents2

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