20081227852819I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20F · Danville, KY · December 27, 2008

Date: December 27, 2008 · 14:30 local
Place: Danville, KY
Airport: Stuart Powell Field
Phase of flight: Takeoff
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6452Q
Reported as: Mooney M20F
Reported engine: Lycoming IO360A1A
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 240 total70 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days

N6452QRegistered now · Mooney M20FS/N 670531 · Built 1967 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.

Pilot was conducting takeoff with an almost direct crosswind of between 20 and 27 knots. Pilot stated that at about 20' he retracted the landing gear but then a sudden "down burst" of wind pushed him back onto the runway. The pilot was unable to lower the landing gear in time. The aircraft's propeller struck the runway and the aircraft landed gear up sliding approximately 1400' from initial impact point coming to rest just off the left side of the runway into the grass. The pilot, his wife and four-year-old son escaped with no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS CONDUCTING TAKEOFF WITH AN ALMOST DIRECT CROSSWIND OF BETWEEN 20 AND 27 KNOTS. PILOT STATED THAT AT ABOUT 20' HE RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR BUT THEN A SUDDEN "DOWN BURST" OF WIND PUSHED HIM BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR IN TIME. THE AIRCRAFT'S PROPELLER STRUCK THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED GEAR UP SLIDING APPROXIMATELY 1400' FROM INITIAL IMPACT POINT COMING TO REST JUST OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS. THE PILOT, HIS WIFE AND FOUR-YEAR-OLD SON ESCAPED WITH NO INJURIES.