NTSB Identification: ERA12LA184
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, February 17, 2012 in Fayetteville, NC
Aircraft: MOONEY AIRPLANE CO INC M20TN, registration: N118RZ
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On February 17, 2012, at 1732 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20TN, N118RZ, collided with a pole, while landing at Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY), Fayetteville, North Carolina. The airplane was registered to and operated by Tenn. Reality LLC as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The certificated private pilot sustained serious injuries and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from Raleigh Durham International Airport, Raleigh, North Carolina at 1707.

The pilot stated that upon arrival at FAY, he was instructed by FAY Tower personnel to enter a left downwind leg of the traffic pattern for landing to runway 4. These instructions were subsequently changed to a right downwind leg. A Gulfstream jet was cleared to land in front of him. He was then cleared to land and the airplane touched down on the main landing gear. The airplane subsequently encountered wake turbulence from the jet. The nose of the airplane pitched up high and the airplane lifted off the runway. He applied power and the airplane went to the left. He immediately applied right rudder and right aileron, which put the airplane in a right bank. The airplane collided with a pole on the pilot's left side of the fuselage and pushed it inward. The airplane spun around and came to a stop. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident.

Review of radio communications between Fay Tower and the pilot of N118RZ revealed the pilot was cleared to land on runway 4 at 17:2746. At 17:29:11, the pilot was informed to be aware of wake turbulence from a landing Gulfstream airplane. At 17:29:58, the controller informed the Gulfstream pilot nice landing. At 22:32, the ground control crash alarm is heard going off.

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