20030323016999I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20K · Albany, NY · March 23, 2003

Date: March 23, 2003 · 09:36 local
Place: Albany, NY
Airport: Albany County
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N252AW
Reported as: Mooney M20K
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,297 total870 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

N252AWRegistration cancelled Jun 5, 2014 · Mooney M20KS/N 25-1005 · Built 1985 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.

(-23) Pilot departed Albany international at 0925 local on 3/23/03 for westover ma. Shortly after departure the pilot elected to return to Albany due to an apparent gyro failure. Upon approach to Albany the right main gear would not extend. The pilot then declared an emergency. The gear failure was then verified by the tower during a fly-by. Once the tower informed the PIC that the gear was not down he stated he needed to land immediately. The aircraft then landed on runway 28 before fire rescue was in position. The pilot evacuated the aircraft without injury. Review of the landing gear has revealed that a landing gear pushrod was bent. Final review and determination of the cause of the bent gear pushrod is still under investigation.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT DEPARTED ALBANY INTERNATIONAL AT 0925 LOCAL ON 3/23/03 FOR WESTOVER MA. SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE THE PILOT ELECTED TO RETURN TO ALBANY DUE TO AN APPARENT GYRO FAILURE. UPON APPROACH TO ALBANY THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND. THE PILOT THEN DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE GEAR FAILURE WAS THEN VERIFIED BY THE TOWER DURING A FLY-BY. ONCE THE TOWER INFORMED THE PIC THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN HE STATED HE NEEDED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN LANDED ON RUNWAY 28 BEFORE FIRE RESCUE WAS IN POSITION. THE PILOT EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURY. REVIEW OF THE LANDING GEAR HAS REVEALED THAT A LANDING GEAR PUSHROD WAS BENT. FINAL REVIEW AND DETERMINATION OF THE CAUSE OF THE BENT GEAR PUSHROD IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.