20090107001339I

Incident · Destroyed

FAA incident report · Mooney M20C · Mojave, CA · January 7, 2009

Date
January 7, 2009 · 17:33 local
Place
Mojave, CA
Airport
Mojave
Phase of flight
Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N7851V
Reported as
Mooney M20C
Reported engine
Lycoming O360*
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,650 total200 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

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 PIC was on 6 mile final when a child in the back began to get ill. He was distracted while on approach. He put the gear down, heard it cycle like normal, but can't remember if he checked the gear lights. He touched down, rolled about 100-200' then the gear collapsed. After landing he noticed an intercom wire under the johnson bar and the bar was unlocked. He suspected the cable cause the johnson bar to not lock properly. The tower controller observed the gear in the down position while on final. It is this inspector's opinion that the pilot was distracted and did not confirm the gear was locked.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PIC WAS ON 6 MILE FINAL WHEN A CHILD IN THE BACK BEGAN TO GET ILL. HE WAS DISTRACTED WHILE ON APPROACH. HE PUT THE GEAR DOWN, HEARD IT CYCLE LIKE NORMAL, BUT CAN'T REMEMBER IF HE CHECKED THE GEAR LIGHTS. HE TOUCHED DOWN, ROLLED ABOUT 100-200' THEN THE GEAR COLLAPSED. AFTER LANDING HE NOTICED AN INTERCOM WIRE UNDER THE JOHNSON BAR AND THE BAR WAS UNLOCKED. HE SUSPECTED THE CABLE CAUSE THE JOHNSON BAR TO NOT LOCK PROPERLY. THE TOWER CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE GEAR IN THE DOWN POSITION WHILE ON FINAL. IT IS THIS INSPECTOR'S OPINION THAT THE PILOT WAS DISTRACTED AND DID NOT CONFIRM THE GEAR WAS LOCKED.