Monticello Flying Club Pilot Transition Manual: Mooney M20F
Page 36 of 42
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE
• Faulty engine and propeller accidents caused 45% of maintenance related accidents and 67%
of fatalities.
• The profile for this category shows average total and Mooney hours, but low recent time.
LOSS OF CONTROL
• Control loss occurred primarily in crosswind conditions during landing, go-around, take off
or initial climb. Improper landing flare technique induced loss of control, with a resultant
hard landing or porpoise. Control loss accidents were 12% of the total, causing 3% of
fatalities and 13% of injuries.
• The pilot profile for loss of control situations shows low total time, lower than average
Mooney time, low recent time, and only 26% were instrument rated.
AIRSPEED MANAGEMENT
• Poor airspeed management was responsible for 11% of all accidents and 5% of fatalities.
Most airspeed accidents were long landings or overshoots, which caused over half of the
injuries but no fatalities. Landing stalls and failure to establish a positive rate of climb
accounted for all fatalities. Go-around stall accidents, generally induced by improper pitch
trim, accounted for most of the remaining injuries.
• The pilot profile for airspeed accidents is distinctive: less than average total time, very low
Mooney time, and low recent time. Of this pilot group 40% were IFR rated.
GEAR MISMANAGEMENT
• Gear mismanagement accidents included failure to extend or verify gear down and locked,
and a few premature gear retractions during takeoff. This category comprised 8% of total
accidents but only 2% of fatalities. However, by conservative estimate there were at least
another 250 incidents (involving less than substantial damage to the aircraft) of gear up
landings. Somewhere in the world, a Mooney is landed with the gear retracted about once
every week.
• The pilots who landed gear up had average total and Mooney hours, and low recent time. IFR
ratings were held by 43% of this pilot group.
FUEL MISMANAGEMENT
• Fuel mismanagement caused 7% of total accidents and only 2% of fatalities, an apparent
tribute to the emergency landing abilities of the pilots. This accident invariably involved
failure to switch tanks, or running both tanks dry.
• The fuel mismanagement pilot profile shows above average total time, average Mooney time,
and very low recent time. Only 37% had IFR ratings.
IMPROPER PREFLIGHT
• Improper preflight was a direct contributor to 6% of all accidents, 4% of fatalities, and 6% of
injuries. Failure to discover/correct fuel contamination is the most significant problem.
• Other preflight omissions which led to accidents include checks of fuel quantity, pitot static
drains, baggage door inner latch, magnetos, and pitot covers.
• Pilots deficient during preflight had average total time, above average Mooney time, low
recent time, with 50% IFR rated.
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