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20030907031889I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Mooney M20J · Elkhart, IN · September 7, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 7, 2003 · 09:15 local
Place
Elkhart, IN
Airport
Elkhart Municipal
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N201DP
Reported as
Mooney M20J
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
900 total200 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days
N201DPRegistered now · Mooney M20JS/N 24-0065 · Built 1976Airframe modelMooney M20J

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 stated he had departed from mishawaka pilots club airport with his two passengers and noticed that the landing gear would not fully retract. Pilot elected to divert to the Elkhart Municipal Airport (ekm) which had a longer runway and emergency equipment if needed. Enroute to ekm the pilot stated he attempted to lower the landing gear using normal procedures which did not produce a safe landing gear indication. He then attempted a manual extension which did not produce a safe indication either. The pilot did a fly-by so air traffic control tower personnel could look at the landing gear position. The pilot attempted a normal landing on runway two seven at ekm. The right main gear collapsed shortly after landing, and the left main gear collapsed a few seconds later. Inspection of the landing gear motor and actuator/worm driveby a local A&P mechanic with inspection authority revealed worn and stripped gears on the recently replaced worm and drive gears. The gear was tested for hardness and found to be below manufacturer's specifications.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT STATED HE HAD DEPARTED FROM MISHAWAKA PILOTS CLUB AIRPORT WITH HIS TWO PASSENGERS AND NOTICED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT FULLY RETRACT. PILOT ELECTED TO DIVERT TO THE ELKHART MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (EKM) WHICH HAD A LONGER RUNWAY AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT IF NEEDED. ENROUTE TO EKM THE PILOT STATED HE ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR USING NORMAL PROCEDURES WHICH DID NOT PRODUCE A SAFE LANDING GEAR INDICATION. HE THEN ATTEMPTED A MANUAL EXTENSION WHICH DID NOT PRODUCE A SAFE INDICATION EITHER. THE PILOT DID A FLY-BY SO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER PERSONNEL COULD LOOK AT THE LANDING GEAR POSITION. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A NORMAL LANDING ON RUNWAY TWO SEVEN AT EKM. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED SHORTLY AFTER LANDING, AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED A FEW SECONDS LATER. INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR AND ACTUATOR/WORM DRIVEBY A LOCAL A&P MECHANIC WITH INSPECTION AUTHORITY REVEALED WORN AND STRIPPED GEARS ON THE RECENTLY REPLACED WORM AND DRIVE GEARS. THE GEAR WAS TESTED FOR HARDNESS AND FOUND TO BE BELOW MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS.