20120120000569I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20J · Edenton, NC · January 20, 2012

Date
January 20, 2012 · 16:00 local
Place
Edenton, NC
Airport
Northeastern Regional Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5608Y
Reported as
Mooney M20J
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 SER A&C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
850 total310 in this make and model3 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.

N5608Y was on a local VFR flight from Northeastern Regional Airport, Edenton, NC (kede) taking off at approximately 15:35 EST. Shortly after 16:00 EST, the pilot turned toward the airport for landing and announced his position on CTAF 123.0 as "over the albemarle sound bridge for downwind entry for runway 19 Edenton". After the pilot reported his position, he heard a transmission from another aircraft that was downwind or was going to enter a downwind to runway 19. He then reported his position as crossing the (albemarle) sound shoreline for a downwind to runway 19. He heard part of another transmission referencing "downwind 19". He was unable to establish visual contact with any other traffic so he reported his position as midfield downwind to runway 19 Edenton. He heard no other traffic respond. He continued looking for traffic. Then another aircraft reported right downwind for 19. The other aircraft responded to the effect: we will land behind you, Mooney. He still had not seen the other aircraft but no aircraft were between him and the runway so he turned inbound and announced that he would land long believing this would provide maximum separation between him and the other traffic. The pilot allowed the perceived traffic pattern conflicts to distract him from performing the landing checklist so he did not extend the gear. No gear horn sound possibly due to the fact that he was trying to land long and kept the power above the required setting to sound the gear extend horn. Ground personnel retrieved the aircraft from the runway by sliding the aircraft up onto a roll back tow truck. While the front of the aircraft rested on the roll back truck bed, the main gear and wings were aft of the truck bed so the mechanic extended the main gear by hand cranking the gear down. The gear is mechanical and the nose gear was unable to extend due to sitting on the truck. The nose gear retraction rods then sheared off the upper nose gear strut.

As the FAA filed it

N5608Y WAS ON A LOCAL VFR FLIGHT FROM NORTHEASTERN REGIONAL AIRPORT, EDENTON, NC (KEDE) TAKING OFF AT APPROXIMATELY 15:35 EST. SHORTLY AFTER 16:00 EST, THE PILOT TURNED TOWARD THE AIRPORT FOR LANDING AND ANNOUNCED HIS POSITION ON CTAF 123.0 AS "OVER THE ALBEMARLE SOUND BRIDGE FOR DOWNWIND ENTRY FOR RUNWAY 19 EDENTON". AFTER THE PILOT REPORTED HIS POSITION, HE HEARD A TRANSMISSION FROM ANOTHER AIRCRAFT THAT WAS DOWNWIND OR WAS GOING TO ENTER A DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 19. HE THEN REPORTED HIS POSITION AS CROSSING THE (ALBEMARLE) SOUND SHORELINE FOR A DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 19. HE HEARD PART OF ANOTHER TRANSMISSION REFERENCING "DOWNWIND 19". HE WAS UNABLE TO ESTABLISH VISUAL CONTACT WITH ANY OTHER TRAFFIC SO HE REPORTED HIS POSITION AS MIDFIELD DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 19 EDENTON. HE HEARD NO OTHER TRAFFIC RESPOND. HE CONTINUED LOOKING FOR TRAFFIC. THEN ANOTHER AIRCRAFT REPORTED RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR 19. THE OTHER AIRCRAFT RESPONDED TO THE EFFECT: WE WILL LAND BEHIND YOU, MOONEY. HE STILL HAD NOT SEEN THE OTHER AIRCRAFT BUT NO AIRCRAFT WERE BETWEEN HIM AND THE RUNWAY SO HE TURNED INBOUND AND ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULD LAND LONG BELIEVING THIS WOULD PROVIDE MAXIMUM SEPARATION BETWEEN HIM AND THE OTHER TRAFFIC. THE PILOT ALLOWED THE PERCEIVED TRAFFIC PATTERN CONFLICTS TO DISTRACT HIM FROM PERFORMING THE LANDING CHECKLIST SO HE DID NOT EXTEND THE GEAR. NO GEAR HORN SOUND POSSIBLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE WAS TRYING TO LAND LONG AND KEPT THE POWER ABOVE THE REQUIRED SETTING TO SOUND THE GEAR EXTEND HORN. GROUND PERSONNEL RETRIEVED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY BY SLIDING THE AIRCRAFT UP ONTO A ROLL BACK TOW TRUCK. WHILE THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT RESTED ON THE ROLL BACK TRUCK BED, THE MAIN GEAR AND WINGS WERE AFT OF THE TRUCK BED SO THE MECHANIC EXTENDED THE MAIN GEAR BY HAND CRANKING THE GEAR DOWN. THE GEAR IS MECHANICAL AND THE NOSE GEAR WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND DUE TO SITTING ON THE TRUCK. THE NOSE GEAR RETRACTION RODS THEN SHEARED OFF THE UPPER NOSE GEAR STRUT.