Mooney Down in TX - Pilot Okay

[flight2000]

I saw another Mooney crashed in Texas yesterday.  Glad to see the pilot walked away before the fire destroyed the aircraft.  Not sure of the make, but the article says it was a 1999.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7403712.html

Brian

[flhelo]

Glad he was ok.

[eldeano]

I am not sure that this could be right but in the FAA database the Tracy Mahoney from Texas shows that he got his student pilot license issued on JANUARY 13, 2011.  Weiser is a challenging airport for anyone.  Glad he walked away.

[docket]

Didn't notice that I was logged in as someone else.

[highplains]

Video coverage.  Looks like he HAD an Ovation?

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7927362

[docket]

I think the tail number is N64FM.

[N33GG]

Sorry for the loss of the aircraft, and very glad he walked away (The definition of a good landing???  Ahhh...apologies to everybody for the bad humor). 

What I would really like to say is:  SCORE for the outstanding structure of the Mooney aircraft that has let so many pilots walk away, when otherwise, if flying brand B, C, or P, they might not have been so lucky. (Maybe, but maybe not.  No offense to the B, C, and P pilots...I have flown many, many hours in all of them, and they are great aircraft.  But, I really like the security of flying a Mooney.)

Be safe out there everybody!

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: N6719N

Sorry for the loss of the aircraft, and very glad he walked away (The definition of a good landing???  Ahhh...apologies to everybody for the bad humor). 

What I would really like to say is:  SCORE for the outstanding structure of the Mooney aircraft that has let so many pilots walk away, when otherwise, if flying brand B, C, or P, they might not have been so lucky. (Maybe, but maybe not.  No offense to the B, C, and P pilots...I have flown many, many hours in all of them, and they are great aircraft.  But, I really like the security of flying a Mooney.)

Be safe out there everybody!

[Skywarrior]

If, indeed, Mr. Mahoney received a student pilot license on JAN 13, 2011, there will be much more to come out of this story.

Chuck M.

[maxmax]

Student Pilot, Ovation.......... words that make you go hmmm.  I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but there are reasons you probably wouldn't want to.  I know a guy that got his private in a M20J with no problems.  I got my private and Instr. in an Archer.

[MARZ]

Weiser is an east west runway - landing from the west presents some "psych you out challenges" for a student pilot and for that matter most accomplished - for the most part this airport has a constant crosswind. 

I know this first hand, my instructor took me there to cure me of my unfocused off center line landings, and I must say approaching the field over a highway - looking at high wires and then floating over a bunch of school buses just prior to the threshold would be distracting enough - couple that with the off speed float of the Mooney and you're well down the runway.   Not sure of the winds that day but even without a crosswind it would be tough for a student or newly passed private.  

Thank god the pilot is OK and that tragedy was averted. 

 As an aside - the restaurant there has great bbq!

[N513ZM]

N64FM M20R  1999 Ovation 29-0193  registered to Green Oak LLP, Corpus Christi TX on 10/25/2010

 

 

[MARZ]

From the looks of the accounts the plane ended up at the A mark.

 

 

[N33GG]

Quote: maxmax

Student Pilot, Ovation.......... words that make you go hmmm.  I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but there are reasons you probably wouldn't want to.  I know a guy that got his private in a M20J with no problems.  I got my private and Instr. in an Archer.

[sleepingsquirrel]

I guess I don't have more Mooney than brains after all or you could be reading about me in the Ovation.

Not saying I still don't have a chance at the Darwins, but I'm debriefing myself after every flight. I'm being very careful about loading with fuel and passengers. I've found that airspeed is the key for every landing & take off .

I must be getting better because I see a lot less money changing hands after I land now. 

[FlyDave]

If this guy was a student pilot, then shame on his instructor for teaching a primary student in a fast slippery airplane!! I don't care what anyone says or how adept a student his is, he was still a student. A slow lumbering plane gives someone that has NO EXPERIENCE time to think and react as well as more options. I like options!!

This guy is lucky he didn't kill anyone else or himself when this accident happened. I wonder if he'll get the opportunity to fly again. I'm also curious what the FAA will say to his instructor.

[MARZ]

I went back and looked at the local video that aired - didn't notice it the first time but just as they start to show the broken fence and burned plane there was a plane on final for 27 - not 9 - another shows smoke from the flames which look like a quartering tailwind for 9,

Again, I don't know what the metar was but it may be he was landing in the wrong direction

[DaV8or]

Quote: maropers

looking at high wires and then floating over a bunch of school buses just prior to the threshold would be distracting enough...

[N513ZM]

BTW - the pilot is on this list - TRACY - he asked a question recently about fuel flow on his 1999 M20R

if you have a question about what happened or want to send him a note of encouragement maybe send him a private message?

I bet he feels terrible - I know I would.

 

[flight2000]

That's spooky.  Joined and posted his question two days before the accident.  Really glad he's okay though.

Brian

[jax88]

I don't have a problem with choosing to do primary training in an Ovation.  Heck, military pilots used to (and may still) do their primary training in turbine powered aircraft.  I DO have a problem with an instructor turning a student loose in ANY aircraft to do solo work without knowing beyond any doubt that the student is prudent enough to know when to even attempt a landing.  ie. airspeed is higher than my personal minimum on final, just push the throttle in and try again - no need to even attempt to get wheels on the ground on that pass.  We should all know what airspeeds WE require on short final in order to make a safe landing.

[Hank]

Whatever happened to "any landing you can walk away from" and all that?

While it appears that he may have been behind the airplane, he apparently made a conscious choice to hit the ditch and sacrifice an awesome machine to spare people. That is situational awareness and aeronautical decision making, both of a variety that I hope I never need to demonstrate.

 

[N513ZM]

Just as an FYI, I have had an email conversation with Tracy and 1. he's OK, 2. he's not a complete beginner as many have assumed from his carrying a student pilot certificate. I don't know much more detail - You'd have to ask him.

Here is a guy who is one of us - he's a pilot (student pilots are pilots too) and a Mooney driver and for those of you like me - an Ovation driver. When he made a mistake that he couldn't recover from (by all accounts he attempted to go around too late and was too low and clipped the fence) he made a conscious decision to put it in the ditch instead of the houses. 

Why not give him some encouragement? 

[Bob]

Quote: N513ZM

Just as an FYI, I have had an email conversation with Tracy and 1. he's OK, 2. he's not a complete beginner as many have assumed.

[aerobat95]

Military pilots start off their training at IFS in a DA-20's first.  The days are long and have lots of accademics associated with them.  After they finish the syllabus they have a checkride, and then off to pilot training at one of the AETC bases.  The training is very regimented, much more so than any civilian training I have ever done.  

I am really happy to hear that Tracy is ok.  Like someone said earlier any landing you can walk away from is a good one.  I hope at some point you will be able to get back in the cockpit and fly again.  It is to me one of the greatest things we can do....

I would also like to echo what Bob said, please share your experience with everyone.  We can all learn from the mistakes/experiences of others and inturn become better/more aware pilots.