1980Mooney

That's great advice although it is just not realistic if your are actually trying to use a Mooney as a traveling machine. There are times when my plane needed to go into a heated hangar to melt the accumulated snow and ice off before a winter return flight. Other times, a sudden severe weather change necessitated towing the plane into a hangar. Some busy FBO's logistics don't work for the owner to move it themselves. You cannot be there all the time, everytime.

That didn't work in the Watsonville mid-air in 2022. The 340 had been flying in and out of Watsonville several times during August 2020. It was returning straight in after a short cross-country flight. Both planes were communicating. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsb-cites-pilot-error-in-fatal-midair-collision-over-watsonville-municipal-airport/

Before you pull the battery box, are you sure that there is not a current drain somewhere? There are two (2) hot wires that go from the battery to the front of the plane when the Master is off if I am not mistaken - 1) the hot wire going to the cabin and baggage lights (and a clock on some models) and 2) the wire going to the Master Switch which energizes the master power solenoid/relay when flipped on. If I were you, I would disconnect the 24 v. positive line coming from the battery box right at the master power solenoid/relay (which is in the tail cone next to where the original battery before the conversion was located.) Use an ammeter to see if there is any current flow that would be slowly draining the battery. You can also check the voltage before the Master is on. If you have a drain, then the batteries are just run down. You will need to find where the current leak is. If it is a bad cell in a battery, then they should be within the Concorde 6 month Full Replacement Warranty period.

As you previously mentioned, that battery box is about 75 lbs and has to be pulled down a wooden ramp (battery board) that you temporarily install. In order to get to it and reach the box, you have to wedge your body into the tailcone a bit. You will wind up leaning on something in the tailcone putting additional weight back there.

I went to the Concorde site to look at approved applications. Amazingly Rocket Engineering never got the 24 volt Concorde batteries approved for either the later model M20J's or M20K 252's. (all with 28 volt systems). All older Missiles (M20J) and Rockets (M20K) with 14 volt systems have 2 batteries in parallel. The smaller number of later Missiles and Rockets with 28 volt systems have two (2) 12 volt batteries in series. @MikeOH was correct in your application/model. I am not sure which (parallel vs series) is more easily damaged by overcharging if one cell on one battery is bad. I have always changed out both batteries together. They typically last 6-7 years. Never had any charging problem.

Cirrus nose wheel turns 108 degrees either direction. Mooney only 11 degrees left and 13 degrees right. I think that asymmetry can throw someone off - especially if making S-turns or side to side deflection while backing. (Especially on a power tug or tractor). Pushing the nose wheel left turn the extra 2 degrees to 13 degrees like the right (to where someone eyeballed the right turn deflection) will bend the truss tube. Service Instructions SIM20-137 says “Towing by tractor or other powered equipment is NOT RECOMMENDED. ” That is just not realistic.

The 252 was the first 28 volt model. From Mooney Chronology https://www.mooneyevents.com/chrono.htm 1986 M20K 252 25-1000 to 25-1066 Continental TSI0-360-MB(1) (210 HP). Replaces 231 with intercooled engine, Garrett variable wastegate. First model with curved side window. Also, enclosed landing gear; 28V electrical. Four place. “The next new model, the M20K 252, appeared in early 1986 with a top speed of 252 miles per hour (406 km/h). It replaced the 231 and achieved its higher speed with the same 210 horsepower (160 kW) engine. It featured a new 28-volt electrical system to power additional equipment and to improve cold-weather starting.”

No. It has 2 batteries in Parallel. This is a Rocket Engineering conversion. They did the same thing with the Rocket and Missile conversion. There are 2 batteries in the tail - In addition to more cranking power, they also act as big Charlie weights to offset the extra 200+ lbs added forward of the firewall. Early J’s and K’s had two (2) 12 V Conchorde’s and later ones had two (2) 24V Concorde’s. But you are right that the other battery could become overcharged and damaged due to excessive charging of the possibly dead cell undervoltage battery.

If they have been drained dead, this may save you about $1 K

https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=100:93:::NO::: Three gearups: M20F at PAWTUCKET, RI. M20C at ROCHESTER, NY. M20J at SHERMAN, TX (doing Touch and Go's) One mismanaged landing bounced off runway: M20K at WAUKESHA, WI. One mismanaged landing and go around into trees: M20K at FAIRMONT, WV.

Since no-one else is going to ask, then what was the one crucial mistake? FAA ASIAS is posted: "AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND AND CRASHED OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY, FAIRMONT, WV."

A couple observations. It appears that he landed on Runway 05. Runway 05 has a 0.7% downslope Runway 05 has a 720 ft displacement. That means he only had 2,245 ft. usable (although there appears to be about 200 ft in the runup area before the Runway 23 threshold which could be used as overrun)

No. Grand Canyon Caverns Airport, L37, is open to the public. No approval is needed. Many airports open to the public are privately owned. For example, here in Houston all the GA airports on the west side except Sugar Land are privately owned but open to the public. (West Houston, Executive, Southwest, David Wayne Hooks). Sugar Land was also privately owned by Dr Hull (hence Hull Field) until his family sold it to the City of Sugar Land. Grand Canyon Caverns Airport, L37, is owned by GRAND CANYON CAVERNS & INN, LLC. However, Hualapai Airport, 3AZ5, (where this bozo landed) is owned by the HUALAPAI INDIAN TRIBE and is a Private airport. It is not open to the public.

Unfortunately, there’s no published ADS-B detail while the Mooney was on Final or on the runway on either FlightAware or ADSBExchange. You’ll probably have to wait 1 - 2 years for the NTSB to provide any anything.

Few details. Occurred Friday, August 30. Witness reported that it overshot the runway at Fairmont Municipal Airport-Frankman Field, (4G7). Runway is only 2,965 ft, long and trees are at the end of the runway. Wind does not seem to be a factor - was about 3 mph from the North. "Caller advising the plane went off the end of the runway down by the river. Multiple injuries reported. Units on scene with 2 patients, both conscious and alert. 1 wing broken with fuel leaking. Plane is about 100 ft off the runway. Fire Dept is using a stokes basket to bring the patients up the hill." https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/419051 Pilot and passenger survived. Plane is a 1989, M20K, 252. Current owner, age 64 years per internet, purchased it in 2015 and was based in Albuquerque until about 2020 and then Indiana. https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/200946443/n1005u-1989-mooney-m20k-252tse https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/200735563/n1005u-1989-mooney-m20k-252tse

When approaching and landing straight-in on a runway at an uncontrolled, seemingly quiet, airport, there are other hazards than unannounced traffic in the air. https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/346120

This is a hot button issue with any prospective Mooney buyer. A quick search of the MooneySpace site using Google shows that SB208 (either spelled SB208, SB-208 or Service Bulletin 208) is a subject of discussion in over 200 different topics. I have never seen a late 1970's - 1990 Mooney that did not have SB208A done and logged - granted I never looked at anything but J models. I saw some really poor looking welding repair of frame corrosion of one particular J that was in Louisiana. I passed on that plane. Yes my logs showed that SB208A had been complied with before purchase. And the fiberglass had been removed and replaced with foam insulation. It had been done about 8 years prior to my purchase. You have never seen a Mooney buyer that insisted on SB-208? Searching MS topics/discussions on "pre-buy, you will find over 60 separate discussions that specifically highlight the need for SB208 to be completed on the aircraft. Many say it is at the top of their list and to read the logs first. And many say "SB208 will need to be done" and to walk away if it has not been done and logged.

Why do you think that he would be inclined to do this on every pre-buy? He clearly stated above that on this particular plane “After reviewing the airframe logs myself, I can confirm SB-208 has never been logged which is why I want it done as part of my prebuy.”

This is an extreme example.

Not often. But it has happened. Usually other obstructions in the landing path. Roll the dice. "The pilot decided to not continue the flight to the nearest airport; he shut down the engine and perform a forced landing to a field. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted unsuitable terrain and sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. " https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/383084

Her previous comments were not for pain and suffering nor punitive. She just wanted what she had replaced. That is when the insurance company should have made her replacement whole. Her home loses, although total, were extremely modest in absolute numbers compared to most that are able to own a plane. There are probably members here that have spent more on a hangar. So as pilots we wish to flip the narrative. It is not the wealthy estate, nor the insurance companies, lawyers or shareholders (private equity) that are greedy. It is the victims. It is like a fire - use whatever it takes immediately to put it out fully before it is a raging inferno. This is why these things blow up into ridiculous lawsuits and settlements.

There were 2 different approaches to this. Early designs used squat switches. Later used an air safety switch. With squat switches, if you hit a good bump while taxiing or a momentary gust while rolling on takeoff, the switches may unload and sense as if the plane was airborne. Or a switch might be defective and stuck sensing airborne all the time. With airspeed safety switches, they can be miscalibrated to a low speed or defective and stuck sensing airspeed. In either case if the lever is up while fast taxiing or in high speed roll on takeoff, the gear could collapse

I bet if they had "offered up enough to buy a new mobile home, etc" that this would have been solved a year ago without a lawyer ever getting involved by the homeowner. The accident was tragic and luckily no-one was at home or they would have likely perished also. But look at what appears to be happening - how it looks to the home-owner and also the community The estate of the late good doctor, (who was a wealthy "renowned plastic surgeon in Los Angeles", his FAA address is a spectacular Beverly Hills home that recently sold for $16 million) is hiding behind a mysterious plane co-owner named "Biplane Co" (which may turn out to be owned by the estate of the late doctor) The supposed "co-owner" is hiding behind AIG. AIG is hiding behind lawyers The home-owner is not getting replacement value after a year of dickering. She has hired a local attorney now. Remember this is New Mexico. I grew up there and have passed the vicinity of the crash site many times over the decades. A lot of residents just scrape by. In this case the homeowner is a 37 year old single mother of 2 kids. Apparently she works at local New Mexico based Century Bank. Her co-workers set up a GoFundMe page. https://www.gofundme.com/f/miquella-benavidez-and-children She owns an incredibly modest home on perpetually barren land southwest of the Santa Fe horse-track and not far from noisy Interstate 25. (only a couple hundred feet from the frontage road). Her home is (was) a double-wide mobile (manufactured) home on land adjacent to her parents. The Santa Fe County values her home at a whopping $132,000 on land valued at $102,000. You can see that the crash burned up her pickup truck also. She may not have carried much insurance on the mobile home or truck. But she did not destroy them. The pilot/owner of N5251C trespassed on her property and destroyed them. The amount of money that could come from AIG and/or the doctor's estate to make this right would not be large. I bet $200k could have fixed everything up if they had been reasonable and forthcoming early on. Yet it does not seem to be happening. If AIG will not make her whole, then she has no recourse except to sue. This gives aircraft owners and pilots a bad name. We certainly look like a bunch of wealthy entitled greedy bastards that are not responsible for our actions. And everyone wonders why community support for GA is declining. It is crap like this. As @Parker_Woodruff said above, maybe this is a fishing expedition by a less aviation experienced local attorney. But as it gets more visibility it may invite more aggressive and knowledgeable legal talent. That is how these crazy lawsuits and wild settlements get started. Remember that there will be no sympathy by local residents for the California doctor or AIG. Local long-time residents, like the homeowner and her parents, generally blame outsiders, like all the "beautiful people" that come to Santa Fe, for driving up living costs making it impossible to live close to the city center instead on these dirt lots that they can barely afford. And if AIG had made a reasonable settlement all this would never have gotten this far and would be over.

Back on topic. I know that you got plenty of recommendations to reskin or buy a used aileron, rebalance and repaint with quotes of over $3k from experiences about 8 years ago. I am sure that it will cost you much, much more now. If you have piles of money to burn then that makes great sense - I know many will say "no biggie" and "if that is an issue for you then you probably should not be owning a plane". But why make this a few $ thousand problem when it should only be a few $ hundred. I had a similar situation when I purchased my J about 25 years ago. Before it had wingtips it suffered rash on the outboard tips of the ailerons. My A&P at the time, an old-timer that started with Boeing in Wichita in the 50's, was a wizard in aluminum. He repaired/rebuilt all the cracked up aluminum gliders in Houston at the time. He straightened the tip out and put on a small doubler. Rebalanced. At the time the painting was just a touch-up. Rocket Engineering did not have a problem with it when they installed the IO-550A and wingtips. I don't baby my plane and I fly as fast as I can as often as I can - frequently at Vne. People can wring their hands over a repair like this but it is not an issue. Save your money for something that matters.