Mooney M20K N11637

Summary

On 7 June 1996 at about 18:00 local time, a Mooney M20K registered N11637, operated by Vito E. Palermo, was involved in an accident near Danbury, Connecticut, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 1996 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Danbury, Connecticut, United States

Nearest airport

Danbury (DXR)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mooney M20K

Registration

N11637

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Vito E. Palermo

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC96LA122

2 people had minor injuries.

the safety pilot's raising of the flaps, while the airplane was at an inadequate airspeed during the aborted landing, which resulted in a stall, uncontrolled descent, and subsequent collision with parked airplanes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was returning from an instrument proficiency flight with a certificated flight instructor acting as the safety pilot. During the landing, the airplane bounced three times, and the pilot added full power to perform a go-around. The safety pilot stated that during the go-around 'In a panic to gain altitude, I raised the flaps, since the indicator was indicating full flaps. . . . The aircraft lost altitude, crashing into five aircraft which were parked on the ground.' Examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of a malfunction, nor did either pilot report any. The FAA Flight Training Handbook stated for go-arounds (rejected landings), 'Depending on the airplane's altitude and airspeed, it may be wise to retract the flaps intermittently in small increments to allow time for the airplane to accelerate progressively as they are being raised. A sudden and complete retraction of the flaps at a very low airspeed could cause a loss of lift resulting the airplane settling into the ground.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.