At about 09:00 eastern time, a Mooney M20J was damaged upon landing in a field near Ellijay. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot was in the right seat and a student pilot was in the left seat. The student pilot was flying the aircraft and the pilot was following through on the controls. After takeoff from runway 3 at Gilmer County Airport, they remained in the traffic pattern. While on final approach to runway 3, the pilot told the student they would not attempt a landing. As they passed a third of the way down the runway, the pilot told the student pilot to perform a go-around. The student pilot applied full power suddenly and pulled back rapidly on the yoke. The pilot took control of the aircraft. He sacrificed the available altitude to get back airspeed and flew the aircraft about 3,000 feet before electing to set the aircraft down in an open field north of the runway. He said he was not sure the aircraft would clear the trees ahead. The left and right wings were damaged from colliding with fence poles.
July 1, Ellijay, Ga. / Mooney 201
At about 09:00 eastern time, a Mooney M20J was damaged upon landing in a field near Ellijay. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot was in the right seat and a student pilot was in the left seat. The student pilot was flying the aircraft and the pilot was following through on the controls. After takeoff from runway 3 at Gilmer County Airport, they remained in the traffic pattern. While on final approach to runway 3, the pilot told the student they would not attempt a landing. As they passed a third of the way down the runway, the pilot told the student pilot to perform a go-around. The student pilot applied full power suddenly and pulled back rapidly on the yoke. The pilot took...
Key Takeaways:
- A Mooney M20J suffered wing damage during an emergency field landing near Ellijay after a student pilot's sudden and rapid go-around maneuver led to a dangerous situation.
- The experienced pilot, who was following through on controls, took over when the student's erratic actions caused a loss of control, sacrificing altitude to regain airspeed.
- The pilot elected to land in an open field, fearing the aircraft wouldn't clear trees, resulting in wing damage from fence poles but no injuries to either occupant.
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