19990130013799I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20K · Battle Mountain, NV · January 30, 1999

Date: January 30, 1999 · 14:12 local
Place: Battle Mountain, NV
Airport: Lander County Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N231BC
Reported as: Mooney M20K
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0

N231BCRegistered now · Mooney M20KS/N 25-0112 · Built 1979 Airframe modelMooney M20K Engine modelContinental TSIO-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.

(-5)1/30/99, Battle Mountain, NV, 2212Z, the initial problem stemmed from a high climb, causing the engine cylinder head temperature gage to read in the red. After lowering the nose and turning back the aircraft, the temperature returned into the green. The pilot elected to land and have a mechanic check out the engine. The pilot had previously owned a fixed gear aircraft, he had recently purchased a Mooney M20-K with retractable landing gear. The pilot had a few hours of flight time in the Mooney, the fact that he was distracted with the engine problems, he failed to put the landing gear down. During the gear up landing and with the engine idling, the propellor struck the runway causing the engine to stop.

As the FAA filed it

(-5)1/30/99, BATTLE MOUNTAIN, NV, 2212Z, THE INITIAL PROBLEM STEMMED FROM A HIGH CLIMB, CAUSING THE ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD TEMPERATURE GAGE TO READ IN THE RED. AFTER LOWERING THE NOSE AND TURNING BACK THE AIRCRAFT, THE TEMPERATURE RETURNED INTO THE GREEN. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND AND HAVE A MECHANIC CHECK OUT THE ENGINE. THE PILOT HAD PREVIOUSLY OWNED A FIXED GEAR AIRCRAFT, HE HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED A MOONEY M20-K WITH RETRACTABLE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT HAD A FEW HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN THE MOONEY, THE FACT THAT HE WAS DISTRACTED WITH THE ENGINE PROBLEMS, HE FAILED TO PUT THE LANDING GEAR DOWN. DURING THE GEAR UP LANDING AND WITH THE ENGINE IDLING, THE PROPELLOR STRUCK THE RUNWAY CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP.