Pilot Debrief

MOONEY M20J near LAKEWAY, TX — 2017-05-28

Final reportCEN17LA198
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Date
2017-05-28
Location
LAKEWAY, TX, USA
Airport
3R9
Aircraft
MOONEY M20J
Registration
N211ZN
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impaired vision due to his broken eyeglasses.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, during the flight, the right lens fell out of his eyeglasses. Aware of powerlines at the approach end of the runway, and with his vision impaired, he flew a higher than normal landing approach to ensure obstacle clearance. The airplane subsequently landed long, exited the end of the runway, and impacted a stone mailbox, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have opted to go around instead of landing long.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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