20200510012549I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20E · Morristown, NJ · May 10, 2020

Date: May 10, 2020 · 14:37 local
Place: Morristown, NJ
Airport: Morristown Municipal
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N480Y
Reported as: Mooney M20E
Reported engine: Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,787 total

N480YRegistered now · Mooney M20ES/N 543 · Built 1964 Airframe modelMooney M20E Engine modelLycoming I0360 seriesReciprocating

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 reported that when touching down on runway 23, the left side felt wobbly. The right landing gear had already touched down. The left side was pushing forward, turning the airplane to the right. The pilot steered against that, to the left, to stay on the centerline. The pilot heard a loud bang. He continued trying to keep the airplane in the middle, but at this point the airplane was pulling to the left away from the centerline. Aircraft came to a stop with the left main gear collapsed. The pilot reported that the right landing gear and nose landing gear were extracted and carried weight, and that the left landing gear had collapsed.

According to maintenance records, the left landing gear was rigged on April 9, 2020, one month prior to the incident. This was the second flight since maintenance was performed on the landing gear.

Inspection of aircraft for an application submitted for a ferry permit by a maintenance shops shows signs that the rigging may need to be readjusted.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN TOUCHING DOWN ON RUNWAY 23, THE LEFT SIDE FELT WOBBLY. THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR HAD ALREADY TOUCHED DOWN. THE LEFT SIDE WAS PUSHING FORWARD, TURNING THE AIRPLANE TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT STEERED AGAINST THAT, TO THE LEFT, TO STAY ON THE CENTERLINE. THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG. HE CONTINUED TRYING TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE IN THE MIDDLE, BUT AT THIS POINT THE AIRPLANE WAS PULLING TO THE LEFT AWAY FROM THE CENTERLINE. AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP WITH THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR AND NOSE LANDING GEAR WERE EXTRACTED AND CARRIED WEIGHT, AND THAT THE LEFT LANDING GEAR HAD COLLAPSED.

ACCORDING TO MAINTENANCE RECORDS, THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WAS RIGGED ON APRIL 9, 2020, ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THIS WAS THE SECOND FLIGHT SINCE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED ON THE LANDING GEAR.

INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT FOR AN APPLICATION SUBMITTED FOR A FERRY PERMIT BY A MAINTENANCE SHOPS SHOWS SIGNS THAT THE RIGGING MAY NEED TO BE READJUSTED.