N5763HMooney M20J · 1984

The pilot reported that after he entered a left downwind he allowed a wind component from his right side to push him too close to his landing runway and he overshot his turn to final. The airplane was not aligned with the runway when it “hit the ground hard and bounced”. The airplane began to porpoise and bounced several more times as it departed the left side of the runway and the pilot attempted a go-around, but never regained control. The right wingtip impacted an airport fuel storage facility about 350 feet to the left of the runway and the airplane came to rest upright about 50 feet from the initial impact. There was a significant fuel spill, but no postimpact fire. The impact resulted in the collapse of the landing gear and substantial damage to the engine mount, firewall, fuselage, and both wings. The pilot reported that he was unprepared for the violent bouncing from the hard landing and that he should have had better training to prepare him for the stress, confusion and surprise that resulted. The pilot also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure and that he had become complacent after flying this airplane for six years.