20030705017369I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20C · Brookneal, VA · July 5, 2003

Date: July 5, 2003 · 11:30 local
Place: Brookneal, VA
Airport: Brookneal/Campbell Co Airport
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9608M
Reported as: Mooney M20C
Reported engine: Lycoming O360*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,950 total1,200 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days

N9608MRegistered now · Mooney M20CS/N 670107 · Built 1967 Airframe modelMooney M20C Engine 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.

(-23) Airman states he was conducting touch and goes. On final landing, the landing gear collapsed after touchdown. He noted that the landing gear handle was elevated to an angle approximately 30 degrees off the floor of the aircraft. (The Mooney landing gear is operated manually by a lever between the front seats. This lever is parallel to the floor, held in that position by a mechanical latch, when it is in the "down" position). Inspection of the latching mechanism after this event revealed no possibility of dislodging the handle when it was properly placed in the "down and locked" position. The airman failed to properly secure the handle in the "down and lock" position prior to landing.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRMAN STATES HE WAS CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GOES. ON FINAL LANDING, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER TOUCHDOWN. HE NOTED THAT THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS ELEVATED TO AN ANGLE APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES OFF THE FLOOR OF THE AIRCRAFT. (THE MOONEY LANDING GEAR IS OPERATED MANUALLY BY A LEVER BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS. THIS LEVER IS PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR, HELD IN THAT POSITION BY A MECHANICAL LATCH, WHEN IT IS IN THE "DOWN" POSITION). INSPECTION OF THE LATCHING MECHANISM AFTER THIS EVENT REVEALED NO POSSIBILITY OF DISLODGING THE HANDLE WHEN IT WAS PROPERLY PLACED IN THE "DOWN AND LOCKED" POSITION. THE AIRMAN FAILED TO PROPERLY SECURE THE HANDLE IN THE "DOWN AND LOCK" POSITION PRIOR TO LANDING.