A mooney 20J pilot lands after receiving no gyro vectors from ATC, refuels and departs without repai...

Attributes
ACN	554562
Time
Date	200207
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : flo.airport
State Reference	SC
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : flo.tower tower : prc.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	M-20 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing : roll
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Experience	controller military : 4 controller radar : 2 controller time certified in position1 : 2 flight time total : 64
ASRS Report	554562
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical excursion : runway maintenance problem : improper maintenance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : provided flight assist none taken : anomaly accepted other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

A mooney 20 was inbound to florence regional. He had lost his vacuum, causing the wing leveler on the autoplt to malfunction, had no directional gyro, no artificial horizon, and no turn coordinator. The pilot was not very fluent with english, and had a difficult time following directions. With some no-gyro vectors from the approach controller and tower controller, he safely landed the aircraft. Despite being a 'hand full,' the pilot landed safely, and nothing seemed too unusual at the time. 2 hours later, the mooney departed flo, en route to iag requesting ATC vectors to martinsburg, wv, then iag. He still had no vacuum (directional gyro, horizon, turn coordinator), and was relying on ATC to get him going in the right direction. He was not using pilotage, and could not hold headings with the magnetic compass. He stated earlier that he was not used to flying without the autoplt. I have no idea what kind of impact he had on other ATC facilities or if he even made it to his destination. A call by me to the FBO revealed that the pilot would not wait overnight for the aircraft to be repaired. Another case of get homeitis. In my opinion, this was a very unsafe situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the controller reporter stated that the pilot had landed long, about 1/2 way down the runway, barely stopping the aircraft before going off the end. He stayed at the FBO for about 2 hours, getting 33 gallons of fuel and then departed. Reporter was concerned over his hurried departure without having fixed the aircraft. He stated that the pilot was 'foreign looking' with a heavy accent, from the middle east, an older person in his early seventies with white hair and a mustache. The FBO person had told the controller that the pilot, whose name he had from a credit card receipt, had been there a total of 3 times, last august and last april. The aircraft was registered to a non existent corporation in somerset, PA. The flight had come from a departure point somewhere south of florence.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MOONEY 20J PLT LANDS AFTER RECEIVING NO GYRO VECTORS FROM ATC, REFUELS AND DEPARTS WITHOUT REPAIRS, RECEIVING VECTORS FOR DEST FROM CTLRS AT FLO, SC.

Narrative: A MOONEY 20 WAS INBOUND TO FLORENCE REGIONAL. HE HAD LOST HIS VACUUM, CAUSING THE WING LEVELER ON THE AUTOPLT TO MALFUNCTION, HAD NO DIRECTIONAL GYRO, NO ARTIFICIAL HORIZON, AND NO TURN COORDINATOR. THE PLT WAS NOT VERY FLUENT WITH ENGLISH, AND HAD A DIFFICULT TIME FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS. WITH SOME NO-GYRO VECTORS FROM THE APCH CTLR AND TWR CTLR, HE SAFELY LANDED THE ACFT. DESPITE BEING A 'HAND FULL,' THE PLT LANDED SAFELY, AND NOTHING SEEMED TOO UNUSUAL AT THE TIME. 2 HRS LATER, THE MOONEY DEPARTED FLO, ENRTE TO IAG REQUESTING ATC VECTORS TO MARTINSBURG, WV, THEN IAG. HE STILL HAD NO VACUUM (DIRECTIONAL GYRO, HORIZON, TURN COORDINATOR), AND WAS RELYING ON ATC TO GET HIM GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. HE WAS NOT USING PILOTAGE, AND COULD NOT HOLD HDGS WITH THE MAGNETIC COMPASS. HE STATED EARLIER THAT HE WAS NOT USED TO FLYING WITHOUT THE AUTOPLT. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HE HAD ON OTHER ATC FACILITIES OR IF HE EVEN MADE IT TO HIS DESTINATION. A CALL BY ME TO THE FBO REVEALED THAT THE PLT WOULD NOT WAIT OVERNIGHT FOR THE ACFT TO BE REPAIRED. ANOTHER CASE OF GET HOMEITIS. IN MY OPINION, THIS WAS A VERY UNSAFE SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CTLR RPTR STATED THAT THE PLT HAD LANDED LONG, ABOUT 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY, BARELY STOPPING THE ACFT BEFORE GOING OFF THE END. HE STAYED AT THE FBO FOR ABOUT 2 HRS, GETTING 33 GALLONS OF FUEL AND THEN DEPARTED. RPTR WAS CONCERNED OVER HIS HURRIED DEP WITHOUT HAVING FIXED THE ACFT. HE STATED THAT THE PLT WAS 'FOREIGN LOOKING' WITH A HVY ACCENT, FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, AN OLDER PERSON IN HIS EARLY SEVENTIES WITH WHITE HAIR AND A MUSTACHE. THE FBO PERSON HAD TOLD THE CTLR THAT THE PLT, WHOSE NAME HE HAD FROM A CREDIT CARD RECEIPT, HAD BEEN THERE A TOTAL OF 3 TIMES, LAST AUGUST AND LAST APRIL. THE ACFT WAS REGISTERED TO A NON EXISTENT CORPORATION IN SOMERSET, PA. THE FLT HAD COME FROM A DEP POINT SOMEWHERE S OF FLORENCE.

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.

A mooney 20J pilot lands after receiving no gyro vectors from ATC, refuels and departs without repairs, receiving vectors for destination from controllers at flo, sc.