20190908023479I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20R · Lantana, FL · September 8, 2019

Date: September 8, 2019 · 15:59 local
Place: Lantana, FL
Airport: Lantana
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N17FM
Reported as: Mooney M20R
Reported engine: Continental IO-550 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,075 total287 in this make and model14 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.

Pilot did not have gear knob all way down lock, practicing dead stick landing, hit turbulance while lowering knob and hand flew off handle on short final. Knob was 3/4 down and 1/4 inch from indent after landing. Pilot glanced at knob to verify it is down. It looked down to him but he was wrong. Pilot over confident by visual on knob position. Landed plane with wheels up. Prop strike at idle and belly of plane damaged. Gear was ok. When plane was lifted, gear was able to cycle down and lock. Pilot able to hold plane straight and level in middle of runway until it stopped. No fire or fuel lead and no injury. Only pilot on board. Pilot estimates plane will be back in service estimated 3 months.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DID NOT HAVE GEAR KNOB ALL WAY DOWN LOCK, PRACTICING DEAD STICK LANDING, HIT TURBULANCE WHILE LOWERING KNOB AND HAND FLEW OFF HANDLE ON SHORT FINAL. KNOB WAS 3/4 DOWN AND 1/4 INCH FROM INDENT AFTER LANDING. PILOT GLANCED AT KNOB TO VERIFY IT IS DOWN. IT LOOKED DOWN TO HIM BUT HE WAS WRONG. PILOT OVER CONFIDENT BY VISUAL ON KNOB POSITION. LANDED PLANE WITH WHEELS UP. PROP STRIKE AT IDLE AND BELLY OF PLANE DAMAGED. GEAR WAS OK. WHEN PLANE WAS LIFTED, GEAR WAS ABLE TO CYCLE DOWN AND LOCK. PILOT ABLE TO HOLD PLANE STRAIGHT AND LEVEL IN MIDDLE OF RUNWAY UNTIL IT STOPPED. NO FIRE OR FUEL LEAD AND NO INJURY. ONLY PILOT ON BOARD. PILOT ESTIMATES PLANE WILL BE BACK IN SERVICE ESTIMATED 3 MONTHS.