Narrative:

My M02K-cs was at sck for the past week having repairs done in preparation for a full paint job at lincoln, ca. Included in the repairs was the repair of a hole in the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer which was there presumably because of wear and tear from using the trim wheel on the plane for some 6000 hours. The mechanic trimmed the plane in the extreme down position to effect the repair of the hole in the fiberglass. I picked up the plane at XA00Z with a female passenger and prepared to fly to palo alto, ca. At XA10Z I called sck ground for taxi clearance and tower en route clearance to pao, the pavement was dry and visibility was VFR. I taxied to runway 29L run-up area, used my checklist, and received my clearance to pao. I was cleared for takeoff at XA25Z. Applying full power, I checked manifold pressure 39 inches and 2650 RPM and waited for 75 mph, lift-off speed. The plane felt heavy, I pulled the yoke further back, and the plane came off but settled back down. I had used half of the runway, something was wrong. I pulled power to idle and applied the brakes, but the plane did not appear to slow down. By now the end of the runway was coming up fast, and I elected to go off the end into a muddy field at the end of runway 29L. There was a small depression between the end of the runway and the field, the plane bumped through the depression and on out into the field approximately 100 ft, the mains carving a rut as they went sinking down 2-4 inches, and finally stopped. At that point the engine stopped, I turned off the master and the ignition and then the fuel. I checked with my passenger and then turned on the master to tell the tower of my status. After plane had stopped it was determined that my trim was set in full down position. I overlooked the item on my checklist. Mooney's design uses the full horizontal stabilizer as the trim function. Therefore it is very difficult if not impossible to overcome the down force at lift-off speeds. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he had 2 mooneys. His wife is also a pilot so one is hers. The damage to the aircraft was expensive to repair. The propeller struck the ground so had to be repaired. The engine had to be disassembled and checks made on the internal engine parts. The brakes had to be replaced and much of the underside of the aircraft skin. The reporter stated he never had received any out of trim training with the mooney. He said he has had about 5 instructors in the past 1000 hours of flying time in the mooney and none have discussed or trained for various scenarios like runaway trim or out of trim on takeoff. He said he has taken both his mooneys off with full nose down trim and it can be done but takes a surprising amount of up elevator. The reporter said nose up out of trim presents an entirely different problem than nose down trim.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO TKOF WITH HIS ELEVATOR TRIM SET TO THE FULL NOSE DOWN. WHEN THE NOSE WOULD NOT ROTATE NORMALLY THE PLT ABORTED THE TKOF AND RAN OFF THE END OF THE RWY AND INTO THE MUD. THE AIRPLANE HAD JUST COME OUT OF MAINT AND THE MECH HAD RUN THE TRIM FULL DOWN TO ACCOMPLISH A REPAIR.

Narrative: MY M02K-CS WAS AT SCK FOR THE PAST WEEK HAVING REPAIRS DONE IN PREPARATION FOR A FULL PAINT JOB AT LINCOLN, CA. INCLUDED IN THE REPAIRS WAS THE REPAIR OF A HOLE IN THE LEADING EDGE OF THE VERT STABILIZER WHICH WAS THERE PRESUMABLY BECAUSE OF WEAR AND TEAR FROM USING THE TRIM WHEEL ON THE PLANE FOR SOME 6000 HRS. THE MECH TRIMMED THE PLANE IN THE EXTREME DOWN POS TO EFFECT THE REPAIR OF THE HOLE IN THE FIBERGLASS. I PICKED UP THE PLANE AT XA00Z WITH A FEMALE PAX AND PREPARED TO FLY TO PALO ALTO, CA. AT XA10Z I CALLED SCK GND FOR TAXI CLRNC AND TWR ENRTE CLRNC TO PAO, THE PAVEMENT WAS DRY AND VISIBILITY WAS VFR. I TAXIED TO RWY 29L RUN-UP AREA, USED MY CHKLIST, AND RECEIVED MY CLRNC TO PAO. I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF AT XA25Z. APPLYING FULL PWR, I CHKED MANIFOLD PRESSURE 39 INCHES AND 2650 RPM AND WAITED FOR 75 MPH, LIFT-OFF SPD. THE PLANE FELT HVY, I PULLED THE YOKE FURTHER BACK, AND THE PLANE CAME OFF BUT SETTLED BACK DOWN. I HAD USED HALF OF THE RWY, SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I PULLED PWR TO IDLE AND APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT THE PLANE DID NOT APPEAR TO SLOW DOWN. BY NOW THE END OF THE RWY WAS COMING UP FAST, AND I ELECTED TO GO OFF THE END INTO A MUDDY FIELD AT THE END OF RWY 29L. THERE WAS A SMALL DEPRESSION BTWN THE END OF THE RWY AND THE FIELD, THE PLANE BUMPED THROUGH THE DEPRESSION AND ON OUT INTO THE FIELD APPROX 100 FT, THE MAINS CARVING A RUT AS THEY WENT SINKING DOWN 2-4 INCHES, AND FINALLY STOPPED. AT THAT POINT THE ENG STOPPED, I TURNED OFF THE MASTER AND THE IGNITION AND THEN THE FUEL. I CHKED WITH MY PAX AND THEN TURNED ON THE MASTER TO TELL THE TWR OF MY STATUS. AFTER PLANE HAD STOPPED IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY TRIM WAS SET IN FULL DOWN POS. I OVERLOOKED THE ITEM ON MY CHKLIST. MOONEY'S DESIGN USES THE FULL HORIZ STABILIZER AS THE TRIM FUNCTION. THEREFORE IT IS VERY DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME THE DOWN FORCE AT LIFT-OFF SPDS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE HAD 2 MOONEYS. HIS WIFE IS ALSO A PLT SO ONE IS HERS. THE DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. THE PROP STRUCK THE GND SO HAD TO BE REPAIRED. THE ENG HAD TO BE DISASSEMBLED AND CHKS MADE ON THE INTERNAL ENG PARTS. THE BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED AND MUCH OF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ACFT SKIN. THE RPTR STATED HE NEVER HAD RECEIVED ANY OUT OF TRIM TRAINING WITH THE MOONEY. HE SAID HE HAS HAD ABOUT 5 INSTRUCTORS IN THE PAST 1000 HRS OF FLYING TIME IN THE MOONEY AND NONE HAVE DISCUSSED OR TRAINED FOR VARIOUS SCENARIOS LIKE RUNAWAY TRIM OR OUT OF TRIM ON TKOF. HE SAID HE HAS TAKEN BOTH HIS MOONEYS OFF WITH FULL NOSE DOWN TRIM AND IT CAN BE DONE BUT TAKES A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF UP ELEVATOR. THE RPTR SAID NOSE UP OUT OF TRIM PRESENTS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PROB THAN NOSE DOWN TRIM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.