20180621015609I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20E · Mesa, AZ · June 21, 2018

Date
June 21, 2018 · 15:35 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Airport
Falcon Fld
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3213F
Reported as
Mooney M20E
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
280 total30 in this make and model6 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.

The pilot was on a VFR flight from marana kavq to Falcon kffz with VFR approach into Falcon from the south

East. He contacted ATC and received landing clearance for 22L. On final approach he did not have a green light indicating locked gear down. Because of this, he executed a go-around and notified ATC of the possible landing gear malfunction.

He then requested clearance to circle north of the field. Clearance was granted. He proceeded to the holding pattern and slowed the aircraft to 110 mph. He then tried to extend the land gear 3 or more times with the landing gear switch. This failed each time and the switch had no noticeable effect. He began following the procedures in the aircraft emergency gear extension checklist, and then attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency hand crank . He was successful in lowering the wheels; however he did not achieve a green "locked" indication. He then tried additional hand cranking and after -115 crank revolutions, the crank resistance increased sharply and he discontinued the cranks.

The landing gear alignment indicator is located behind a 3" window on the floor and visible by looking down between the front seats. He observed a horizontal black line had moved into view in the cinder of the window, indicating that the gear had been lowered. Concurrently, the aircraft began to lose airspeed from additional drag, as expected with the gear down.

He then notified ATC that he wanted to land but still did not have a green lock light. He received clearance for the option on 22L. He executed a go-around with a slow climb to allow the control tower to make a visual inspection of the aircraft landing gear. They confirmed that all three wheels were down. During the go-around he got the audible warning that the gear was not locked.

He made a left closed traffic and then landed on 22L. He said it felt stable for about 1 second, then there was a slight wobble in the right gear, and then all the gear collapsed. The collapse was not quite simultaneous, and it felt like the right gear preceded the rest by a fraction of a second.

The aircraft contacted the runway on its belly. The prop touched the runway and cause the engine to stop. The aircraft continued to slide down the centerline of the runway until it came to a stop. He exited the aircraft normally.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WAS ON A VFR FLIGHT FROM MARANA KAVQ TO FALCON KFFZ WITH VFR APPROACH INTO FALCON FROM THE SOUTH

EAST. HE CONTACTED ATC AND RECEIVED LANDING CLEARANCE FOR 22L. ON FINAL APPROACH HE DID NOT HAVE A GREEN LIGHT INDICATING LOCKED GEAR DOWN. BECAUSE OF THIS, HE EXECUTED A GO-AROUND AND NOTIFIED ATC OF THE POSSIBLE LANDING GEAR MALFUNCTION.

HE THEN REQUESTED CLEARANCE TO CIRCLE NORTH OF THE FIELD. CLEARANCE WAS GRANTED. HE PROCEEDED TO THE HOLDING PATTERN AND SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO 110 MPH. HE THEN TRIED TO EXTEND THE LAND GEAR 3 OR MORE TIMES WITH THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH. THIS FAILED EACH TIME AND THE SWITCH HAD NO NOTICEABLE EFFECT. HE BEGAN FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURES IN THE AIRCRAFT EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION CHECKLIST, AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR USING THE EMERGENCY HAND CRANK . HE WAS SUCCESSFUL IN LOWERING THE WHEELS; HOWEVER HE DID NOT ACHIEVE A GREEN "LOCKED" INDICATION. HE THEN TRIED ADDITIONAL HAND CRANKING AND AFTER -115 CRANK REVOLUTIONS, THE CRANK RESISTANCE INCREASED SHARPLY AND HE DISCONTINUED THE CRANKS.

THE LANDING GEAR ALIGNMENT INDICATOR IS LOCATED BEHIND A 3" WINDOW ON THE FLOOR AND VISIBLE BY LOOKING DOWN BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS. HE OBSERVED A HORIZONTAL BLACK LINE HAD MOVED INTO VIEW IN THE CINDER OF THE WINDOW, INDICATING THAT THE GEAR HAD BEEN LOWERED. CONCURRENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO LOSE AIRSPEED FROM ADDITIONAL DRAG, AS EXPECTED WITH THE GEAR DOWN.

HE THEN NOTIFIED ATC THAT HE WANTED TO LAND BUT STILL DID NOT HAVE A GREEN LOCK LIGHT. HE RECEIVED CLEARANCE FOR THE OPTION ON 22L. HE EXECUTED A GO-AROUND WITH A SLOW CLIMB TO ALLOW THE CONTROL TOWER TO MAKE A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR. THEY CONFIRMED THAT ALL THREE WHEELS WERE DOWN. DURING THE GO-AROUND HE GOT THE AUDIBLE WARNING THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT LOCKED.

HE MADE A LEFT CLOSED TRAFFIC AND THEN LANDED ON 22L. HE SAID IT FELT STABLE FOR ABOUT 1 SECOND, THEN THERE WAS A SLIGHT WOBBLE IN THE RIGHT GEAR, AND THEN ALL THE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE COLLAPSE WAS NOT QUITE SIMULTANEOUS, AND IT FELT LIKE THE RIGHT GEAR PRECEDED THE REST BY A FRACTION OF A SECOND.

THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE RUNWAY ON ITS BELLY. THE PROP TOUCHED THE RUNWAY AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SLIDE DOWN THE CENTERLINE OF THE RUNWAY UNTIL IT CAME TO A STOP. HE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT NORMALLY.

Other reports on N3213F · 1

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