Montgomery Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

San Diego, California 92111
Wednesday, July 30, 2014 17:35 PDT

On July 30, 2014, about 1735 Pacific daylight time, N147MP, a Mooney M20L, was substantially damaged following an aborted landing/go-around and a reported partial loss of engine power at Montgomery Field (MYF), San Diego, California. The certified private pilot sustained serious injuries, and the sole passenger received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The personal cross-country flight, which was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, departed the San Bernardino International Airport (SBD), San Bernardino, California, about 1630, with MYF as its destination. In an interview with investigators conducted on the day following the accident, the pilot reported that the airplane bounced on landing and she added full power and commenced a go-around; the retractable landing gear and flaps remained in the extended position. Moments later when she realized that she was not gaining altitude as she normally would, she communicated the situation to the MYF air traffic control tower; the pilot also indicated that the engine was not making full power. She then veered left toward a shopping complex, which she indicated was a contingency landing area if she ever experienced an emergency. The airplane subsequently impacted a roof-mounted air conditioning unit atop a commercial building, proceeded straight ahead for about 40 feet, impacted the cinder block wall barrier on the south side of the building with its forward undercarriage, and then impacted one of the building's perimeter light standards with its right wing. The airplane subsequently came to rest in an open parking area on the west side of the building. A fire ensued on the right-front portion of the airplane, which was quickly extinguished by local workers in the area. A witness, who is also a pilot and was standing about 450 feet south of the runway with an unobstructed view of the airplane while on its go-around, reported that the aircraft was very low as it approached the west perimeter of the airport. The witness stated that it then pulled up to clear a row of trees in its path, and subsequently pulled up even steeper to clear some higher trees. The witness added that at this point the airplane's left wing dropped, which was immediately followed by the nose dropping, but it did not stall and did not spin. The witness opined that shortly after losing sight of the airplane to the west of his location, he observed a column of smoke in that direction. A survey of the accident site by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, revealed that the airplane, with the exception of a section of the right wing's leading edge and all three landing gear, was basically observed intact, upright, and oriented on a heading of north. The airplane was recovered to a secured storage facility for further examination.

Not Yet Reported