Mooney accident in Paradise, CA and Deer Valley incident.

[EricJ]

Looks like an early J model.

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/butte-county-cal-fire-responds-to-plane-crash-in-paradise

There was an incident locally last month with a C model that didn't quite make it to the runway at Deer Valley.   The only way I knew about it was a first responder friend heard the radio chatter about a Mooney down and contacted me to make sure it wasn't me.

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/01/mooney-m-20c-n4061n-incident-occurred.html

[carusoam]

Message for @mike_elliott engine out, M20C, injuries….

Plane looks horrible…

Best regards,

-a-

[47U]

1 hour ago, carusoam said:

Plane looks horrible…

Local Sacramento TV says the 201 pilot has minor injuries… hope he recovers quickly. 

https://www.kcra.com/article/1-injured-small-plane-crash-butte-county/39026443

[carusoam]

Landed just short of the runway…

Looks like the plane found a construction site…

-a-

[Hank]

5 hours ago, carusoam said:

Landed just short of the runway…

Looks like the plane found a construction site…

-a-

And here I thought, "planes don't crash in Paradise" . . . . Glad it went well for him, looks like the airframe took the punishment as it was designed to do. Silver lining, black clouds, etc.

[LANCECASPER]

N201VJ looks like it had a new owner, "Registration Pending".

Hindsight is 20/20. Reminder to self in case I find myself in that situation: Not lowering the gear until you know the runway is made might have made the difference.

 

[Skates97]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

N201VJ looks like it had a new owner, "Registration Pending".

Hindsight is 20/20. Reminder to self in case I find myself in that situation: Not lowering the gear until you know the runway is made might have made the difference.

 

Looks like gear down and flaps down in the picture Anthony posted above. Keep it as clean as possible until the runway is made. At that point even if you don't have time to get the gear down I would rather belly in on the runway.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

N201VJ looks like it had a new owner, "Registration Pending".

Hindsight is 20/20. Reminder to self in case I find myself in that situation: Not lowering the gear until you know the runway is made might have made the difference.

 

So how did the plane come to rest there? I see no skidmarks, point of impact, nothing--just a beatup plane atop a pile of dirt.

[LANCECASPER]

2 minutes ago, Hank said:

So how did the plane come to rest there? I see no skidmarks, point of impact, nothing--just a beatup plane atop a pile of dirt.

I doubt that they towed him there . . Lol. Unless he didn’t pay for his annual.

Edited February 10, 2022 by LANCECASPER

[Browncbr1]

Wow. Nose gear didn’t even collapse … or maybe it’s just dangling there

Edited February 11, 2022 by Browncbr1

[MooneyMitch]

21 hours ago, Hank said:

So how did the plane come to rest there? I see no skidmarks, point of impact, nothing--just a beatup plane atop a pile of dirt.

I’d say the plane had very little forward speed at time of impact, leaving no tracks in the soil.

The right wing definitely impacted something! 

[Brandt]

Another thread somewhere showed the FlightAware track.  Was pretty much at stall speed all the way through the pattern.  

 

[LANCECASPER]

21 minutes ago, Brandt said:

Another thread somewhere showed the FlightAware track.  Was pretty much at stall speed all the way through the pattern.  

I think that was this one that happened back in December.

 

[47U]

1 hour ago, MooneyMitch said:

I’d say the plane had very little forward speed at time of impact, leaving no tracks in the soil.

The winds were extremely gusty (30+ kts, I think) and the airport is situation on a bluff.  Steep terrain on three sides.  On the approach to RW35, you are essentially flying into the side of a cliff.  Makes for pretty squirrelly winds.  I have’t been up there in (probably) 20 years, since it’s a private airport and they painted an ‘R’ on the runway.

Not discounting the possibility of an engine problem, though.

[LANCECASPER]

2 hours ago, 47U said:

The winds were extremely gusty (30+ kts, I think) and the airport is situation on a bluff.  Steep terrain on three sides.  On the approach to RW35, you are essentially flying into the side of a cliff.  Makes for pretty squirrelly winds.  I have’t been up there in (probably) 20 years, since it’s a private airport and they painted an ‘R’ on the runway.

Not discounting the possibility of an engine problem, though.

Yikes, I can see where depth perception could be an issue. 

 

	STEEP DOWNGRADE EAST; WEST; & SOUTH OF RWY.
-	LAND RY 35; TKOF RY17. NIGHT LDG RY 35 3017 FT LGTD. RY 17 NIGHT LDGS NOT AUTH. DUE TO MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITH TREES APROX. 450-700 YDS FROM RY END

[Hank]

So did he come in slow, hit some wind and was pushed down into the dirt pile? Thus no tracks / slide, just impact onto the face of the dirt that we can't see?

[LANCECASPER]

I thought it was a loss of power and trying to make it to the airport

[MooneyMitch]

Either way, low and very slow with what appears to be a drop in situation.  

[Brandt]

9 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

I think that was this one that happened back in December.

 

Nope. 

[Brandt]

Just now, Brandt said:

Nope. 

 

[EricJ]

38 minutes ago, Brandt said:

 

Ouch.  That must have been a ride.

[1980Mooney]

10 hours ago, 47U said:

The winds were extremely gusty (30+ kts, I think) and the airport is situation on a bluff.

Not discounting the possibility of an engine problem, though.

Both blades appear to be equally bent in a radial direction which seems to indicate it was making power and turning. 

[47U]

1 hour ago, 1980Mooney said:

Both blades appear to be equally bent in a radial direction which seems to indicate it was making power and turning.

Good observation.  

With the amount of turbulence encountered, is it possible that the selected tank was unported momentarily, perhaps at the worst possible time, and then started making power again too late to recover?  What’s the POH advisory for a J… 8 gal minimum?  Regardless, from our perspective, it’s just speculation.  

Hoping for a quick recovery and reported minor injuries aren’t more serious.