20060318009929I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20F · Juneau, WI · March 18, 2006

Date: March 18, 2006 · 15:00 local
Place: Juneau, WI
Airport: Dodge County Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9595M
Reported as: Mooney M20F
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,000 total200 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days

N9595MRegistered now · Mooney M20FS/N 670172 · Built 1966 Airframe modelMooney M20F Engine modelLycoming I0360 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) The aircraft landing gear collapsed at touchdown at Dodge County Airport (unu). The propeller struck the ground and the aircraft skidded to a stop on its belly. The aircraft suffered only minor damage to the belly skins, antenna and the propeller. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The landing gear warning system was found to be out of adjustment. The red landing gear warning light did not come on until the handle was more than 1/4 inch from the maximum top position. The red warning light should come on when the handle is more than 1/8 inch from the maximum top position. Also the green landing gear safe light turned on when the handle was 3/16 inch from the maximum top position. This would have given the pilot a misleading visual indication that the gear was securely locked. No other defects were found that could have caused the landing gear to collapse.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AT TOUCHDOWN AT DODGE COUNTY AIRPORT (UNU). THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP ON ITS BELLY. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BELLY SKINS, ANTENNA AND THE PROPELLER. THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE LANDING GEAR WARNING SYSTEM WAS FOUND TO BE OUT OF ADJUSTMENT. THE RED LANDING GEAR WARNING LIGHT DID NOT COME ON UNTIL THE HANDLE WAS MORE THAN 1/4 INCH FROM THE MAXIMUM TOP POSITION. THE RED WARNING LIGHT SHOULD COME ON WHEN THE HANDLE IS MORE THAN 1/8 INCH FROM THE MAXIMUM TOP POSITION. ALSO THE GREEN LANDING GEAR SAFE LIGHT TURNED ON WHEN THE HANDLE WAS 3/16 INCH FROM THE MAXIMUM TOP POSITION. THIS WOULD HAVE GIVEN THE PILOT A MISLEADING VISUAL INDICATION THAT THE GEAR WAS SECURELY LOCKED. NO OTHER DEFECTS WERE FOUND THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE LANDING GEAR TO COLLAPSE.