Mooney Aircraft Corp. M20S N2234X accident near Washington Island, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing and his delayed remedial action to abort the landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot landed the airplane using a short field technique which he had recently practiced with his flight instructor. During the landing roll, the airplane's wheels rolled through some potholes causing the airplane to become airborne again. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full throttle and retracting the flaps to the takeoff position. However, with full throttle and full aft elevator, the airplane would not climb and settled back down onto the ground. The airplane veered to the left and impacted a ditch, which tore off the landing gear, and substantially damaged the empennage and horizontal stabilizer. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane. The pilot reported he was late in initiating the aborted landing procedure.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11CA462 for the full record.