2018 Mooney Accidents

[irishpilot]

**Disclaimer, some of the NTSB reports are not final, I do not work for the NTSB or FAA, and my analysis is only as a concerned Mooney owner and not in an official capacity. I also realize that some of our MS members may be the subject to some of these crashes. The observations are objective and not personal. If there are factual errors in the reports, please let me know with documentation.

This is a breakdown of all registered accidents from a range of no injuries to fatal. For this breakdown, incidents are not included. I've attached a slide listing all of the 2018 accidents that has date, accident number, location, etc.

For 2018, there were 16 Mooney Accidents (9 non-fatal). Bottom line upfront - The top three Mooney accident causes are slightly different than General Aviation. GA top three being Loss of control, CFIT, and engine loss, in that order. Overall, top Mooney causes, in order:

1. Loss of Control Inflight - 6  

2. Engine Loss - 3

3. Misc (hard landing, long landing, instrument fail)- 3* (04/18 had both fuel and long landing as causal factors)

4. CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) - 2

5. Fuel related - 2* (04/18 had both fuel and long landing as causal factors)

6. Gear up - 1

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A breakdown of the 16 accidents are:

No injury  - 7  accidents

1. 09/18 - (Preliminary) Engine loss of power on takeoff led to gear up landing. Post crash inspection found some water in the left tank as well as in the fuel lines. NTSB yet to officially determine cause.
2. 08/18 - (Final) Loss of control on ground. The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff. Owner was in right seat giving a plane checkout to pilot in the left seat. Pilot elected to abort aircraft and veered off runway. Owner took over but did not have brakes on right side.
3. 07/18 (Final) Gear Up. The flight instructor's incorrect use of the landing gear system and his and the pilot's failure to ensure that the landing gear was extended, which resulted in a gear-up landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's unfamiliarity with the airplane. *My take: IP task saturation and misprioritization due to unfamiliar systems.
4. 06/18 (Final) Total engine loss of power. Loss due to unknown reason. An engine start attempted at the airport shortly after the accident was unsuccessful; however, after the airplane was recovered to a recovery facility, the engine was successfully started and run on the airframe using the airplane's own fuel system. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
5. 04/18 (Final) Fuel starvation. Causal: The pilot's unstabilized approach, which resulted in the airplane landing long and fast, and the pilot's subsequent decision to steer the airplane off the side of the runway to avoid a runway overrun. Pilot touched down at 100 knots, 30+ knots faster than POH recommended for M20F.
6. 04/18 (Final) Runway Excursion. Causal: The pilot's landing long in tailwind conditions with insufficient runway remaining to stop the airplane.
7. 02/18 (Final) Loss of control on ground. The pilot's improper approach and landing flare in dark night, which resulted in a bounced landing. *My take, fast landing led to pilot-induced oscillations which led to gear overstress.

Minor injury - 1 accident

1. 12/18 (Final) Total engine loss of power. Maintenance personnel's improper assembly of the engine during overhaul, which resulted in lubrication restriction due to a bearing shift and the subsequent engine failure.

Serious injury - 2 accidents

1. 10/18 (Preliminary) NTSB yet to determine cause. My take: Fuel starvation due to pilot error. Aircraft had enough fuel for the flight, but for an unknown reason the pilot did not select the fullest tank prior to takeoff in accordance with POH and associated pre-takeoff checklist. 
2. 01/18 (Final) Loss of control. The pilot's failure to establish the proper airspeed after departure and to maintain adequate clearance from a ridgeline in high-density and downdraft conditions and his subsequent exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall with insufficient altitude to recover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight weight and balance calculations, which failed to take into account the gross weight, high-altitude conditions, and center of gravity limit.

Fatal - 7 accidents. Click here for breakdown listed in separate thread.

1. 02/18 CFIT
2. 03/18 Loss of control
3. 04/18 Loss of control
4. 08/01/18 Loss of control
5. 08/11/18 Loss of control
6. 09/18 Loss of control
7. 11/18 CFIT

2018 Trends:

1. Loss of aircraft control inflight continues to be the number one killer in Mooney accidents as well as the number one accident cause. This was also the number one cause of accidents 2017. I will follow up with a deep-dive in a later thread.

2. Engine Loss stays at #2 from 2017. Although down from five to three which is an improvement. Of note, similar to 2017, only one engine loss was due to catastrophic mechanical failure. One was due to unknown reasons and the other most likely due to water in the fuel. Also of note, for 2018 engine loss did not result in any fatalities, however 

3. Fast Landings. This issue is frequently discussed on Mooneyspace and it contributes to the misnomer that Mooney's are hard to land. They are not. But, the Mooney has a high performance wing with low drag which means being on-speed is key to safe and stable approaches and landings. Airspeed and aimpoint have to be flown with precision. As a community, we cannot accept being 10-15 knots fast over the numbers. Practice approaches and landings frequently and challenge yourself to land within a certain distance and on speed. This will build the muscle memory habit for precise flying.

2018 Mooney Accidents.pptx