A Look at Accident Statistics

[Jeff_S]

Like (presumably) many folks here, I scan the NTSB reports occasionally to learn from the mistakes of others. I especially do this by the make/model of plane I own, to help me point out situations to avoid. So since I've had my J now for a few months, I just did a quick-n-dirty search for all J accidents since January 2000 and here's what I found:

67 Accidents/Incidents listed under "Mooney M20J".  (I probably missed some that weren't classified as such.)

Of these, 16 had fatalities, for a 23% fatality ratio. The breakdown of the fatal accidents is as follows:

Engine Power Loss: 1
Medical Incapacitation: 1
RLOC: 1
Weather/Icing: 2
Nightime Disorientation: 3
Maneuvering Stall/Spin: 8

Pretty telling stats. Only one was actually the airplane's fault, and even in that one the NTSB pointed to poor maintenance and rust filled fuel tanks as the likely culprit. The heart attack was just a sad thing, but what can you do? The rest of them were all some situation where everything was functioning just fine except for that six-inch distance between the ears of the pilot. And the bulk of those "maneuvering" accidents were stall/spin on final, many by very experienced pilots.

None of this is new news, I realize, but it helps reinforce the notion of the best ways to stay alive. The reason this all came up to me now is that I had my truly most horrible landing yet yesterday, and with an Angel Flight patient on-board! I was landing at Macon GA (KMCN) and everything seemed normal when all of a sudden the nose just dropped, and bounced, and dropped again before I could power up and get it under control. We walked away and nothing was bent (and my return home was a greaser) but it made me start to wonder where else the gremlins may be.

[Piloto]

Don't feel bad about your bad landing. The Mooney landing gear design is not the best for consistent good landings. The bouncing you experience may have been due to gusty or crosswind conditions. The Mooney wing sits too close to the ground to have a noticeable ground effect. This is why the plane floats for ever when you flare. During gusty conditions under ground effect the plane have additional lift momentarily causing it to bounce when touch down occur. To overcome this I raise the flaps completely just before touch down. This kills the ground effect thus eliminating the possibiliy of bouncing. When the flaps are raised the center of lift move forward causing a slight pitch up condition insuring that the mains will touch down before the nose. It works so well that I do it on every landing. It also shortens the ground roll. It also allows me to come at slightly higher approach speed (specially during windshear conditions) without worrying about bouncing or ground roll.

José 

[HopePilot]

Piloto:  Do you raise the flaps as you flare or after the mains have touched?

[Tom_Veatch]

Quote: Piloto

...The Mooney wing sits too close to the ground to have a noticeable ground effect. ...

[Piloto]

Quote: 16LPilot

Piloto:  Do you raise the flaps as you flare or after the mains have touched?

[Piloto]

Quote: Tom_Veatch

Not real sure what you meant to say, but I don't think that was it.