# Incident 20100812040919I: Mooney Airc M20K, Watsonville, CA, August 12, 2010

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 12, 2010, 13:00 local time
- Place: Watsonville, CA
- Airport: Watsonville Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.9357° N, 121.7896° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at WATSONVILLE MUNI (WVI), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.9357&lon=-121.7896&mi=10
- Aircraft: N231DT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N231DT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20K (registry code 5870220, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY AIRC M20K
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,731 total, 1,142 in this make and model, 8 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100812040919I

## Narrative

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

PILOT STATES HE DEPARTED WATSONVILLE MUNI (WVI) ABOUT 1130 LOCAL TO PRACTICE IFR APPROACHES AT NEAR BY AIRPORTS.  WHEN RETURNING TO WVI FOR HIS SIXTH AND FINAL APPROACH AND LANDING HE STATES HIS GEAR WAS DOWN ON DOWN WIND AND REMAINED DOWN FOR LANDING.  HE SAYS THE TOUCH DOWN WAS SMOOTH ON THE MAIN GEAR AND THEN WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL TOUCHED DOWN IT STARTED TO WOBBLE BRIEFLY AND THEN COLLAPSED FOLLOWED BY THE MAIN GEAR.  HE SAYS THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE BELLY WITH A RESULTING PROPELLOR STRIKE.  UPON INVESTIGATION BY HIS MECHANIC IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE NOSE GEAR TRUSS ASSEMBLY APPEARED TO FAIL AT A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS WHICH RELIEVED TENSION FROM THE OVER CENTER MECHANISM RESULTING IN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE.  IT APPEARS THAT EXCESSIVE SIDE LOAD ON THE MAIN GEAR DURING AIRCRAFT SKIDDING MAY HAVE LEAD TO THE MAIN GEAR COLLAPSING AS WELL.

## Other reports on N231DT (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19921009048779I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19921009048779I), Oct 9, 1992: Mooney M20K (N231DT), Bullhead City, AZ, Minor damage. While attempting to park on parking ramp left wing of aircraft struck perimeter fence.

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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