Mooney M20J 201 — Emergency Procedures

Engine Failure on Takeoff — Before or At Liftoff engine_failure_before_rotation

Engine power loss during the takeoff roll or at the moment of liftoff

• ThrottleMEMORYCLOSE IMMEDIATELY
• Brakes — apply firmly to stop within remaining runwayMEMORYAPPLY MAXIMUM BRAKING
• MixtureMEMORYIDLE CUTOFF
• Ignition switchMEMORYOFF
• Master switchMEMORYOFF
• Fuel selectorOFF
• CAUTIONDo not attempt to remain airborne if the engine fails at or near liftoff. The M20J does not climb on partial power from low speed. Land on available runway or surface ahead.
• If briefly airborne — land straight ahead on remaining runway or overrun; do not turn backWINGS LEVEL; LAND AHEAD
• OccupantsALERT TO BRACE

Engine Failure After Takeoff — Airborne, Low Altitude engine_failure_after_takeoff

Engine failure after liftoff with insufficient altitude for return to airport

• Airspeed — establish best glide immediatelyMEMORYBEST GLIDE PER POH
• Landing area — select nearest suitable surface ahead within glide; do not attempt to return to runway below safe altitudeMEMORYSELECTED; COMMITTED TO LANDING AHEAD
• ThrottleFULL — brief restart attempt if altitude permits
• Fuel selectorBOTH
• MixtureFULL RICH
• Ignition switchBOTH — confirm ON; try START if engine has stopped
• If engine does not restart — secure and commit to forced landingFOLLOW FORCED LANDING CHECKLIST
• Gear — extend only when landing is assured on the chosen surface; if surface is marginal, consider leaving gear retractedDOWN WHEN COMMITTED; OR GEAR UP FOR ROUGH TERRAIN

Engine Failure in Flight engine_failure_in_flight

Sudden loss of engine power at cruise altitude with time to troubleshoot

• Airspeed — establish best glideMEMORYBEST GLIDE PER POH
• Landing area — identify a reachable field or airport within glide rangeMEMORYSELECTED; TRACKING TOWARD IT
• Fuel selectorBOTH — or switch to fuller tank
• MixtureFULL RICH
• ThrottleFULL — attempt restart
• Ignition switchBOTH — confirm ON; cycle START if engine is not turning
• Fuel pump (boost pump)ON — check fuel pressure; look for vapor lock
• PrimerIN AND LOCKED
• Mayday call — squawk 7700; declare on 121.5 MHz or ATC frequencyTRANSMITTED
• If restart unsuccessful — secure engine and continue to forced landingFOLLOW FORCED LANDING CHECKLIST

Engine Fire in Flight engine_fire_in_flight

• MixtureMEMORYIDLE CUTOFF
• Fuel selectorMEMORYOFF
• ThrottleMEMORYFULL OPEN — to exhaust any residual fuel in the induction system
• Master switchMEMORYOFF
• Cabin heat and vents from engine compartmentCLOSED — prevent flame and fumes from entering cabin
• Airspeed — increase to attempt to extinguish flame with slipstream; do not exceed VneINCREASE WITHIN LIMITS PER POH
• If fire persists — initiate emergency descent toward forced landing areaDESCEND; BEGIN EMERGENCY APPROACH
• Mayday — declare on 121.5 or ATC frequency; squawk 7700TRANSMITTED
• Prepare for forced landing — follow Forced Landing checklist as ableIN PROGRESS

Engine Fire on Ground — During or After Start engine_fire_ground

• Throttle — advance and keep cranking with starter to draw fire back into engineMEMORYCRANK CONTINUOUSLY TO INGEST FIRE

  On a fuel-injected engine, if the fire is in the induction system, continuing to crank and advance throttle may pull the burning fuel back through. If fire is external to the engine, shut down immediately.

• MixtureMEMORYIDLE CUTOFF
• Ignition switchMEMORYOFF
• Fuel selectorMEMORYOFF
• Master switchMEMORYOFF
• Evacuate aircraft — all occupants exit immediately and move upwindEVACUATE IMMEDIATELY
• Fire extinguisher — direct at base of flame; avoid directing into induction inlet if fire is outAPPLY IF AVAILABLE
• Emergency servicesCALL IMMEDIATELY

Electrical Fire or Smoke in Cockpit electrical_fire

• Master switchMEMORYOFF
• Avionics masterMEMORYOFF
• Cabin vents — open to flush smoke; avoid fanning the sourceMEMORYOPEN FOR FRESH AIR PURGE
• All electrical switches — off individually; identify the circuit causing the smoke before restoring powerALL SWITCHES OFF
• Fire extinguisher — if flame visible, use extinguisher; CO2 or halon preferred for electricalDISCHARGE AT SOURCE IF FLAME VISIBLE
• Circuit breakers — inspect; do not reset a breaker that has popped due to suspected overload without identifying the causeDO NOT RESET HOT BREAKERS BLINDLY
• Land as soon as practicable — electrical fires can re-ignite and avionics may be unavailableDIVERT TO NEAREST SUITABLE AIRPORT
• Essential avionics — restore one item at a time to navigate if master is safe to restoreMINIMUM ESSENTIALS ONLY

Loss of Oil Pressure oil_system_malfunction

• Power — reduce to minimum required to maintain safe flightMEMORYREDUCE POWER IMMEDIATELY
• Land as soon as possible — do not delay; continued operation with low or zero oil pressure risks engine seizureMEMORYDIVERT IMMEDIATELY
• Oil temperature — monitor; rising temp with low pressure confirms oil lossWATCH FOR RISING TEMP
• MixtureFULL RICH — to help cool the engine
• Nearest airport — identify and begin approach without delayNEAREST AIRPORT SELECTED
• Mayday — declare if engine condition is deterioratingDECLARE IF WARRANTED
• If engine begins to run rough or seize — shut down and follow Forced Landing checklistFOLLOW FORCED LANDING CHECKLIST

Forced Landing — Power-Off forced_landing

• Airspeed — establish and maintain best glide immediatelyMEMORYBEST GLIDE PER POH
• Landing area — select the best available field within glide range; consider wind, slope, surface, and obstaclesMEMORYSELECTED; TRACKING
• Mayday — squawk 7700; transmit position, altitude, and intentions on 121.5 MHzTRANSMITTED
• Restart attempt — fuel selector BOTH, mixture RICH, ignition BOTH, boost pump ON, throttle to full momentarilyATTEMPT IF ALTITUDE AND TIME PERMIT
• If restart fails: mixture — idle cutoffIDLE CUTOFF
• Fuel selectorOFF
• Ignition switchOFF when committed to landing
• Master switch — leave on long enough to lower gear; then OFF before touchdown unless radio neededON FOR GEAR; OFF BEFORE TOUCHDOWN
• Landing gear — extend when landing is certain on the chosen field; if surface is rough or soft, consider gear-up landing to reduce injury riskDOWN IF SURFACE SUITABLE; UP IF NOT

  A gear-up landing on grass or soft ground is often survivable with less occupant injury than a gear-collapse on rough terrain. The POH or POH emergency section should be consulted during training for this decision.

• Flaps — extend to increase drag and reduce approach speed when field is assuredEXTEND FOR FINAL APPROACH
• Seat belts and shoulder harnesses — all occupantsSNUG AND LOCKED
• Doors — unlatch before touchdown to prevent jammingUNLATCHED
• Occupants — brief to brace; remove glasses; loosen any items that could become projectilesBRIEFED AND BRACED

Landing Gear Unsafe Indication landing_gear_malfunction

One or more gear indicator lights not showing green on approach, or red unsafe light illuminated

• Airspeed — maintain safe approach speed; do not rush; remain at altitude to troubleshootMAINTAIN SAFE AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDE
• Gear handle — confirm in the DOWN positionDOWN DETENT CONFIRMED
• Gear circuit breaker — check; reset once if trippedCHECK IN; RESET IF POPPED
• Cycle gear — raise and re-select down; allow time for full extension and lockCYCLED; WAITING FOR GREEN
• Gear warning horn — verify it sounds with throttle at idle (confirms unsafe condition is real, not a bulb failure)HORN CONFIRMS GEAR NOT DOWN
• If gear will not extend normally — proceed to Emergency Gear Extension checklistPROCEED TO EMERGENCY EXTENSION
• ATC — advise of gear situation; request emergency services to stand byATC NOTIFIED; SERVICES REQUESTED

Emergency Gear Extension landing_gear_malfunction

Normal electric gear system has failed to extend the landing gear

• CAUTIONEmergency gear extension procedures vary between M20J model years and by modification. The following represents a typical procedure. Verify the exact steps for this specific aircraft in its POH before flight.
• Airspeed — reduce to gear extension speed or below (Vlo) per POHMEMORYBELOW Vlo PER POH
• Gear handle — DOWNDOWN
• Gear circuit breaker — check and reset if poppedIN
• Manual gear extension handle or release — locate and actuate per POH procedure to release hydraulic pressure or mechanical uplockACTUATED PER POH

  The M20J uses an electrically-driven hydraulic gear system on most variants. Emergency extension typically involves releasing hydraulic pressure via a manual valve, allowing gravity and airflow to extend and lock the gear. Consult the specific aircraft POH and practice the procedure on the ground.

• Allow time for gear to fall and lock under gravity and airstreamALLOW FULL EXTENSION
• Gear position indicators — verify three greenTHREE GREEN CONFIRMED
• If only partial green — do not cycle; land gently with known gear configuration; alert fire/rescueLAND WITH AVAILABLE CONFIGURATION; FIRE RESCUE ON STANDBY
• Approach and landing — fly a normal stabilized approach; do not extend flaps if doing so would reduce gear-locking airflow on some configurations (verify per POH)STABILIZED APPROACH; LAND SMOOTHLY