M20C head on collision with Hanger Beam

[rdbroderson]

I had a very unusual mishap with my Mooney M20C. I was in my hanger and I was going to taxi out and for whatever reason the brakes were stuck and I didn't know it. I kept adding power to get the plane to move and all of a sudden the brakes released and the plane took off quire a high rate of speed. I did not have time to get the airplane under control before I crashed in to a hanger beam. So my prop is gone, engine is gone and my upper right engine mount went into my firewall. My left wingtip end also sustained a dent. No insurance. Economics is not involved here it is just a matter of putting the plane back into service. It is a family heirloom and was my fathers plane, and was promised to my daughter in due time. Kind of like restoring your grandmothers pipe organ after it has sat in the barn for 50 years and the mice have almost destroyed it, but we hired a professional and it is beautiful. I am wondering if my plane is even fixable mainly because of the damaged firewall. Insurance is not there and the money to repair it if possible is not an issue. Kind of like restoring old cars. I would just like to return it to the purpose it was made for.

One unlucky pilot.

Ronald Broderson 

[Derrickearly]

What a rotten day for you!  I'm so sorry.  You just need to find the right folks to do the work.  I don't have any suggestions, but I'm certain folks here can point you in the right direction.

[markgrue]

Where is the airplane? 

 

Mark 

[Derrickearly]

https://www.airmodsflightcenter.com/

https://lasar.com/services

[Derrickearly]

8 minutes ago, markgrue said:

Where is the airplane? 

 

Mark 

Looks like he is in North Dakota.

[DXB]

so sorry to hear. Airmods in Robbinsville NJ has deep expertise in Mooney airframe repair.  Assuming money is no object, it probably is fixable. It's worth contacting them.

Edited June 20, 2021 by DXB

[PeteMc]

I'll second Air Mods.  They've done the work on my K for years as well as a number of other Mooney owners I know.  There is often a plane in there being rebuilt or being sold after they have rebuilt it. 

They are often transporting planes to N87, whether it be by making them flyable and getting a ferry permit or arranging for trucking. 

You want to talk to Dave Mathiesen (609-259-2400).

 

[Greg Ellis]

Don’t have any help to offer but noticed that we are 5 serial numbers apart.  Probably in the factory at the same time way back when.

[carusoam]

Welcome aboard Ronald…

You have come to the right place…

Oddly, you are not the first person to ask this question…

The damage is always different and unique… but the solution always starts with pics…

Around here…

We have shared experience…

A prop guy…

Some engine people…

recomendations from first hand experience and a guy who knows brakes pretty well… 

Lets get started…

Best regards,

-a- 

[Jim Peace]

16 hours ago, rdbroderson said:

I was in my hanger and I was going to taxi out and for whatever reason the brakes were stuck and I didn't know it. I kept adding power to get the plane to move and all of a sudden the brakes released and the plane took off quire a high rate of speed.

Just curious....

You started the engine in your hang"a"r and you were planning to power out?  Is this normal in your type of hangar?, meaning is it what others do all the time?

Also how much power would you have added if the brakes did not release?  full power? for the plane to take off at a high rate of speed you must have had in north of 2000 RPM....maybe the parking brake was on and it gave up or there was a chalk in place....

Glad no one was hurt and glad there is no insurance claim....for you money does not seem to be an issue but for the rest of us we have premiums going up like crazy and we are glad we don't have to pay for this.....

[A64Pilot]

Anything is fixable, a friend restored an XP-82 twin mustang, restored is a loose word as not much was left to start with, anything is possible.

Normally of course aircraft become unfixable because cost to repair exceeds value of the repaired airplane.

One thing your going to have to come to grips with is are you requiring perfection or good enough?

Then no matter who does it, don’t get too upside down with them, do progress payments, sometimes if you have already paid, there is no money in working on your airplanes so ones that there is money in get worked on ahead of yours and your becomes the airplane that gets attention when there is no other work.

‘Sometimes brakes stick, it’s often from a light layer of corrosion, using a parking brake makes it worse

[M20F-1968]

You are in North Dakota.  I would refer you to Beegles Aircraft in Greeley, CO.  They are one of the best structural repair shops in the US.  They do top notch work, are good to deal with, are a well known entity, and surpass the quality of other well thought of shops.  They would be my first Go-To shop for this problem.

I rebuild the nose of my aircraft when I did my rebuild, including installing a new firewall.  It is going to be a lot of work.  You might think of taking the opportunity to update the plane in the process.  You will need to replace or repair the firewall.  I have a firewall from my 1968 F that was replaced because my original mechanic (who was obviously terminated) over-drilled the cowl flange.  Depending upon the damage to your firewall, you may be able to replace the damaged area with a section from mine or from another firewall as a riveted on doubler.  Otherwise, the firewall will need to be removed and replaced.

Possible upgrades that could be done:

1.  201 windshield

2. 200 HP IO-360 with fuel injection

3. 201 cowling or the cowling Sabermechanic is working on

4. Look at the engine mounting blocks the where lower part of the engine mount attaches.  They may be worn and in need of replacement.

I removed everything up to the firewall on my plane and then rebuilt the nose making it into a J.  Picked up some added speed in the process.

 

[chriscalandro]

Something about this story doesn’t make sense. 
 

You were taxing out of the hangar but you hit a beam?  How is there a beam in the way of the door of your hangar?

[PT20J]

Not sure what “upper right engine mount went into my firewall” implies. Maybe the impact just collapsed the motor mount, but that mount is attached to the tubular structure, so I’d check to determine if that got bent.

Skip

[PeteMc]

Well, until we hear more...

I'm going to GUESS that one brake stayed stuck or semi stuck and the planepivoted when it lunged forward.

[Jim Peace]

Reminds me of this, I hope we all did not have to contribute to this repair...but I bet we did...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KpOg9Ci284

[mike20papa]

7 hours ago, chriscalandro said:

Something about this story doesn’t make sense. 
 

You were taxing out of the hangar but you hit a beam?  How is there a beam in the way of the door of your hangar?

just remember ... there are guys out there that don't know a beam from a column  .. or a hanger from a hangar .. 

 

[rdbroderson]

On 6/19/2021 at 3:19 PM, markgrue said:

Where is the airplane? 

 

Mark 

Watford City,North Dakota

[rdbroderson]

8 hours ago, mike20papa said:

 

No there is no beam in the doorway. I was backed in at an angle and had my foot on the right peddle when this happened and ended up going right and struck the beam.

 

16 hours ago, M20F-1968 said:

You are in North Dakota.  I would refer you to Beegles Aircraft in Greeley, CO.  They are one of the best structural repair shops in the US.  They do top notch work, are good to deal with, are a well known entity, and surpass the quality of other well thought of shops.  They would be my first Go-To shop for this problem.

I rebuild the nose of my aircraft when I did my rebuild, including installing a new firewall.  It is going to be a lot of work.  You might think of taking the opportunity to update the plane in the process.  You will need to replace or repair the firewall.  I have a firewall from my 1968 F that was replaced because my original mechanic (who was obviously terminated) over-drilled the cowl flange.  Depending upon the damage to your firewall, you may be able to replace the damaged area with a section from mine or from another firewall as a riveted on doubler.  Otherwise, the firewall will need to be removed and replaced.

Possible upgrades that could be done:

1.  201 windshield

2. 200 HP IO-360 with fuel injection

3. 201 cowling or the cowling Sabermechanic is working on

4. Look at the engine mounting blocks the where lower part of the engine mount attaches.  They may be worn and in need of replacement.

I removed everything up to the firewall on my plane and then rebuilt the nose making it into a J.  Picked up some added speed in the process.

 

Nice Work

[A64Pilot]

Airplanes hit beams, it happens. This is the wing tip of my C-140, can you tell that it was an orange beam? 

I was pushing the aircraft, but it happens. Been at least ten years ago.

[rdbroderson]

19 hours ago, Jim Peace said:

Just curious....

You started the engine in your hang"a"r and you were planning to power out?  Is this normal in your type of hangar?, meaning is it what others do all the time?

Also how much power would you have added if the brakes did not release?  full power? for the plane to take off at a high rate of speed you must have had in north of 2000 RPM....maybe the parking brake was on and it gave up or there was a chalk in place....

Glad no one was hurt and glad there is no insurance claim....for you money does not seem to be an issue but for the rest of us we have premiums going up like crazy and we are glad we don't have to pay for this.....

Yes this is how I normally exit the hanger. I back it in. and place it where there is room. Luckily there were no other planes in the hanger. They were moved because they are  doing an extensive update on our airport so the rest of the planes were moved to different locations. And yes I was north of 2000 when this happened but it was all so fast I didn't have time to react. The parking brake was off. Believe me I will power down if there is ever a next time and check out why my plane is not moving. Expensive lesson learned. The higher the cost of lessons the longer you remember them. No chalk blocks in place.

[rdbroderson]

6 hours ago, rdbroderson said:

No there is no beam in the doorway. I was backed in at an angle and had my foot on the right peddle when this happened and ended up going right and struck the beam.

 

Nice Work    Looks Great

 

[rdbroderson]

11 hours ago, PT20J said:

Not sure what “upper right engine mount went into my firewall” implies. Maybe the impact just collapsed the motor mount, but that mount is attached to the tubular structure, so I’d check to determine if that got bent.

Skip

I would be willing to bet that the frame structure got bent or twisted. Haven't really looked into it a lot yet other than remove the right Cowling cover, saw that the engine was pushed back. Enough to limit the forward motion of the stabilizer control.

[rdbroderson]

6 hours ago, rdbroderson said:

No there is no beam in the doorway. I was backed in at an angle and had my foot on the right peddle when this happened and ended up going right and struck the beam.

 

Nice Work

 

6 hours ago, rdbroderson said:

No there is no beam in the doorway. I was backed in at an angle and had my foot on the right peddle when this happened and ended up going right and struck the beam.

 

Nice Work

 

5 hours ago, rdbroderson said:

I would be willing to bet that the frame structure got bent or twisted. Haven't really looked into it a lot yet other than remove the right Cowling cover, saw that the engine was pushed back. Enough to limit the forward motion of the stabilizer control.

 

11 hours ago, PT20J said:

Not sure what “upper right engine mount went into my firewall” implies. Maybe the impact just collapsed the motor mount, but that mount is attached to the tubular structure, so I’d check to determine if that got bent.

Skip

To Skip. If i do in fact get this plane in the air again I am planning on a firewall replacement. The two mechanics at our FBO are really discouraging me from moving forward on this project. Two many unknowns they say. Like a house remodel. You don't know what kind of damage you have until you get to the firewall.

[rdbroderson]

9 hours ago, mike20papa said:

 

To Mike. Thanks for getting the Beam, Column thing reviewed. I actually struck a steal column on the side of the hanger.