The NTSB released its preliminary report this week of its findings in last month’s crash of a Mooney M20J in Montgomery County, Maryland into an electrical transmission tower, knocking out power to nearly 100,000 homes and businesses. The pilot and a sole passenger suffered what the agency said were serious injuries but have since been released from the hospital.
On the morning of Nov. 27, pilot Patrick Merkle and passenger Jan Williams departed from Montgomery County Airpark (GAI) and headed to Westchester County Airport (HPN) in the Mooney M20J. Merkle and Williams planned to fly back to Montgomery County later that evening under an IFR flight plan. The weather that evening was reported to be variable wind at four knots, overcast ceilings at 200 feet above ground level, and less than two miles of visibility due to fog which was reported in a convective SIGMET at the time of the accident.
Air traffic control communication revealed that Merkle was advised to expect an RNAV approach into KGAI, but the pilot expressed a preference for the RNAV Runway 14 approach procedure at the destination airport. The controller cleared the pilot to fly directly to the BEGKA fix, which was southwest and ahead of the Mooney’s position, but instead, the pilot turned about 100 degrees to its right.
The controller provided numerous heading changes and direct clearances to waypoints on the RNAV (GPS) RWY 14 approach procedure; however, the pilot made a series of left and right turns, near course reversals or continued established headings as the controller repeatedly requested that the pilot turn to a different heading.
At this point, the visibility at KGAI was below minima, which was made clear when another plane on approach requested and was cleared for a diversion to another airport to land safely. Merkle would have heard this exchange over the radio communications, but the Mooney continued on its approach to KGAI.
“The minimum altitude at BEGKA, 11.3 nautical miles (nm) from the runway, was 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl),” the NTSB preliminary report states. “The airplane crossed BEGKA about 2,775 ft as it aligned with the final approach course and continued its descent. The minimum altitude at the final approach fix (TIMBE), 5.2 nm from the runway, was 2,200 ft msl. The airplane crossed TIMBE at 1,725 ft msl. The minimum altitude at JOXOX waypoint, about 2.3 nm from the runway, was 1,280 ft msl; the airplane crossed JOXOX at 750 ft. The decision altitude (DA) for the final segment of the approach was 789 ft msl.”
The pilot told local media after the crash, according to the NTSB, that the fog at the time was like “pea soup.” He also reportedly questioned whether his altimeter had been working correctly. The NTSB conducted a calibrated test and found it to be “well within the test allowable error at all ranges.”
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In this particular case, the accident was not a result of inexperience, as Merkle had close to 1,500 hours of logged flight time. The pilot’s action to push on in these conditions may have contributed to the crash and appears to be a result of two of the five hazardous aviation attitudes: macho and invulnerability.
A macho attitude manifests when pilots overestimate their abilities or try to prove themselves to others, which results in unnecessary risks. The verbal antidote to this hazardous attitude is “taking chances is foolish”. An invulnerability attitude manifests when a pilot thinks that accidents can only happen to others rather than themselves which is obviously not the case. The verbal antidote to this hazardous attitude is “it could happen to me?” Based on the NTSB preliminary report, Merkle could have also requested a diversion to another airport to land safely.
The combination of these hazardous attitudes, spatial disorientation, and restricted visibility in night conditions likely led the plane to strike and become entangled in power lines about 1.25 miles from the runway.
Editor’s note: The preliminary information in the report is subject to change when the NTSB releases its final report. This article is the analysis of the known facts involved in this collision at the time of publication and represents the conclusion of one pilot.
