Mooney M20TN N118RZ

Summary

On 17 February 2012 at about 22:32 local time, a Mooney M20TN registered N118RZ, operated by Nitin D. Desai, was involved in an accident near Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 February 2012 at 22:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY)

Coordinates

34.9850, -78.8894

Aircraft

Mooney M20TN

Registration

N118RZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Nitin D. Desai

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Raleigh → Fayetville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA12LA184

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate separation behind a large airplane during landing, which resulted in an encounter with wake turbulence and a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was in the traffic pattern for landing and was informed by the tower air traffic controller that there was a large airplane (Gulfstream) at his one o'clock position on a 5-mile final approach. The accident pilot replied at 17:27:19, "I see the gulfstream ah gulfstream on the final." A 5.72-mile separation was noted on the controller’s radar screen at that time. At 17:27:24, the approach controller informed the accident airplane, which was at 2,500 feet, "caution wake turbulence" and instructed the pilot to contact the tower. The accident airplane was cleared to land on runway 4 by the controller at 17:27:54. The pilot acknowledged the transmission. The tower controller informed the accident pilot, “caution wake turbulence from the gulfstream" at 17:29:09. The response from the accident airplane was unintelligible. The pilot stated he encountered wake turbulence from the Gulfstream that landed ahead of him and lost airplane control. A witness observed the airplane about 8 feet over the runway when it stalled and landed hard. The pilot applied full engine power and attempted a go-around. The airplane drifted to the left toward an airplane parking ramp, struck a light pole, and spun around, coming to rest in a grass area past the parking ramp. The required separation in accordance with FAA regulations was 4 miles. It stated that a pilot landing a smaller airplane behind a larger airplane on the same runway should stay above the larger airplane’s final approach path and land beyond it to avoid an encounter with wake turbulence. The pilot had contacted the tower controller, after a handoff from the approach controller, and was cautioned again about wake turbulence. It is likely that the pilot did not land beyond the Gulfstream's touchdown point, and the airplane encountered wake turbulence, which led to the runway excursion and on-ground collision with a pole. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.