# Incident 20030907031889I: Mooney M20J, Elkhart, IN, September 7, 2003

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 7, 2003, 09:15 local time
- Place: Elkhart, IN
- Airport: Elkhart Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.7194° N, 86.0032° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ELKHART MUNI (EKM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7194&lon=-86.0032&mi=10
- Aircraft: N201DP, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N201DP) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20J (registry code 5870219, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 900 total, 200 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030907031889I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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