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19940720030639I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Mooney M20C · Chesapeake, VA · July 20, 1994

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 20, 1994 · 19:00 local
Place
Chesapeake, VA
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N78913
Reported as
Mooney M20C
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
N78913Registered now · Mooney M20CS/N 1942 · Built 1961Airframe modelMooney M20CEngine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on July 20, 1994, at 1900L a Mooney M-20, N78913, piloted by john j. flora, iii sustained minor damage when the landing gear collapsed after landing. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident. The pilot said his instrument rating was not current and he was receiving instrument instruction at the time of the incident. The pilot said that on final approach he checked that the gear lever was in the proper position and shook the lever to ascertain that the gear was locked. He said he touched the green gear light and determined that it was green. He said that on landing the aircraft bounced a few feet and on the second touchdown the gear handle popped free and the gear partially retracted. He initially applied power then noticed the prop had struck the ground. He then pulled power and turned off the master switch. The aircraft settled on to the runway and skidded to a stop. This aircraft has a manually operated gear system. Upon raising the aircraft, ground personnel observed the gear fall into place and were able to lock the gear lever and tow the aircraft from the runway. I observed that the gear lever could be in place to activate the green gear light but not be fully locked. In this configuration it took just a small force on the lever to cause it to pop free. I observed that the main gear doors had no damage. The nose gear doors had damage only to the bottom surfaces; no damage to the forward and bottom (when open) edges. The main tires had no die scuff marks. A malfunction or defect report is pending. Incident closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON JULY 20, 1994, AT 1900L A MOONEY M-20, N78913, PILOTED BY JOHN J. FLORA, III SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE WHEN THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER LANDING. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE PILOT SAID HIS INSTRUMENT RATING WAS NOT CURRENT AND HE WAS RECEIVING INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTION AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE PILOT SAID THAT ON FINAL APPROACH HE CHECKED THAT THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN THE PROPER POSITION AND SHOOK THE LEVER TO ASCERTAIN THAT THE GEAR WAS LOCKED. HE SAID HE TOUCHED THE GREEN GEAR LIGHT AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS GREEN. HE SAID THAT ON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED A FEW FEET AND ON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN THE GEAR HANDLE POPPED FREE AND THE GEAR PARTIALLY RETRACTED. HE INITIALLY APPLIED POWER THEN NOTICED THE PROP HAD STRUCK THE GROUND. HE THEN PULLED POWER AND TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED ON TO THE RUNWAY AND SKIDDED TO A STOP. THIS AIRCRAFT HAS A MANUALLY OPERATED GEAR SYSTEM. UPON RAISING THE AIRCRAFT, GROUND PERSONNEL OBSERVED THE GEAR FALL INTO PLACE AND WERE ABLE TO LOCK THE GEAR LEVER AND TOW THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY. I OBSERVED THAT THE GEAR LEVER COULD BE IN PLACE TO ACTIVATE THE GREEN GEAR LIGHT BUT NOT BE FULLY LOCKED. IN THIS CONFIGURATION IT TOOK JUST A SMALL FORCE ON THE LEVER TO CAUSE IT TO POP FREE. I OBSERVED THAT THE MAIN GEAR DOORS HAD NO DAMAGE. THE NOSE GEAR DOORS HAD DAMAGE ONLY TO THE BOTTOM SURFACES; NO DAMAGE TO THE FORWARD AND BOTTOM (WHEN OPEN) EDGES. THE MAIN TIRES HAD NO DIE SCUFF MARKS. A MALFUNCTION OR DEFECT REPORT IS PENDING. INCIDENT CLOSED.