2019 Dec NTSB Monthly Report

[irishpilot]

Attached is the NTSB Monthly accident report. Pulled is the Dec 19 accident list. In total, there were 56 reported accidents, 15 of them fatal. There are two accidents I want to highlight:

1. 12/31/19 M20S crash preliminary report. This has been discussed in-depth on the forum, so there's not much to add. From the limited data available, I'd say this accident will be attributed aircraft loss of control resulting in fatal injuries due to impact. The cause of loss of control is still being investigated.

2. 12/01/19 Piper PA24 crash. This one hits close to home because I was on frequency with SAT approach going into Stinson when this crash occurred. The controllers are consummate professionals; I didn't know this occurred until the next morning. North East of KSAT, the pilot told Approach that they had an engine problem. Flight Aware shows the plane at 4,300' (3300' AGL)The engine failed and they were attempting to land at SAT 13R. The plane got slow on the final turn to Rwy 13R. Causal factors will be engine failure and subsequent loss of aircraft control. 
      a. From Flight Aware, I can't tell if they were within glide distance to KSAT. It was at night and I'm not sure if they were aware of Bulverde (1T8). However, flying an engine out at night to 1T8 would be very challenging as it is a short runway with high trees south and power lines to the north. If they were within glide distance to KSAT, that was a wise decision

Recommendations for MooneySpace:

Top three causes of accidents continue to be loss of control, CFIT, and engine failure. Knowing your plane's glide ratio, doing the mental math for glide distance at given altitudes, and using tools such as Foreflight's glide distance ring and your GPS direct Nav, can help give you your engine out options. Additionally, I highly recommend you practice engine-out procedures with a CFI or another pilot so you can practice "turn, climb, clean, check" and feel how your plane handles at glide speed. This is easily practiced near/around uncontrolled airfields (using radios to clearly state your intentions if using non-standard pattern entry). If you are in towered airspace, pulling power abeam the numbers, picking a spot you want to the airplane to touch down, and then grading yourself is another way to practice aimpoint control and energy management.

 

The San Antonio crash highlights the need for all Mooney drivers to practice engine-out approaches and be comfortable knowing how far you can go, building a gameplan, and maintaining glide speed until the flare. 

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