Mooney Issues

Pilot disconnected the (S-Tec 50) autopilot and hand-flew for several minutes. Shortly after initiating a descent to land, the ailerons began to seize. It took five to 10 seconds to lose aileron authority, followed by elevator authority. Pilot forced to make emergency landing with only a few degrees of operable aileron and elevator, but landed without damage or injury. Examination revealed the autopilot had re-engaged and the servo clutches had frozen.

Editorial Staff

Monday, June 25, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An autopilot malfunction caused control surface seizure in flight, while a preflight inspection identified a jammed elevator due to a faulty bungee assembly.
Engine-related issues included a mismanufactured engine mount causing loose bolts and alignment problems, and broken cylinder studs leading to a rough engine.
An electrical system failure involving an alternator led to multiple tripped circuit breakers and damaged voltage regulators, indicating a cascading component failure.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Mooney M20C
Malfunctioning Autopilot

Pilot disconnected the (S-Tec 50) autopilot and hand-flew for several minutes. Shortly after initiating a descent to land, the ailerons began to “seize.” It took five to 10 seconds to lose aileron authority, followed by elevator authority. Pilot forced to make emergency landing with only a few degrees of operable aileron and elevator, but landed without damage or injury. Examination revealed the autopilot had re-engaged and the servo clutches had frozen.