Event LAX00LA352

Factual narrative

On September 27, 2000, at 1820 hours Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20S, N68FM, was substantially damaged by impact with a hangar during an aborted landing at the San Carlos, California, airport. The private pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that was operated by the owner under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed from Prescott, Arizona, at 1445. No flight plan was filed. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, witnesses reported the pilot's first landing approach to runway 30 was too high and the pilot performed a go-around. The second approach to the same runway was also high and the aircraft touched down and began porpoising. After two bounces, it appeared to witnesses that the pilot attempted another go-around; however, the aircraft drifted off the runway to the left and the left wing struck a hangar in the northwest corner of the airport. The aircraft came to rest between two rows of hangars. There was a postcrash fire. The pilot reported that he attempted the go-around after several bounces by placing "the power to full, verified mixture rich, and placed the wing flaps in the 10 [degree] position." He said the plane began to veer to the left of the runway and, although he applied right rudder and right aileron, the drift to the left continued. The stall warning horn never sounded prior to the left wingtip hitting the hangar. The pilot also reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane; however, during the attempted go-around, it didn't feel or sound as if the engine was producing full power. In a telephone interview with the Safety Board investigator, the pilot stated that the flying day had started in San Antonio, Texas, with a fuel stop in Prescott, and then continuation to San Carlos. The en route flying time was 7.5 hours at 8,500 feet, without supplemental oxygen, and he acknowledged that fatigue might have been a factor in the accident. The pilot's first landing approach to the runway was too high and he performed a go-around. The second approach to the same runway was also too high and the aircraft touched down and began porpoising. After two bounces the pilot attempted to abort the landing; however, the aircraft drifted off the runway to the left and the left wing struck a hangar in the northwest corner of the airport. The aircraft came to rest between two rows of hangars. The pilot reported that he attempted the landing abort after several bounces by placing 'the power to full, verified mixture rich, and placed the wing flaps in the 10 [degree] position.' He said the plane began to veer to the left of the runway and, although he applied right rudder and right aileron, the drift to the left continued. The stall warning horn never sounded prior to the left wingtip hitting the hangar. The pilot also reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12