# Incident 20210515009349I: Mooney M20C, Morganton, NC, May 15, 2021

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 15, 2021, 13:25 local time
- Place: Morganton, NC
- Airport: Foothills Regional
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.8202° N, 81.6114° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FOOTHILLS RGNL (MRN), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8202&lon=-81.6114&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2948L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2948L-2021-10-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20C (registry code 5870208, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20C
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 13,500 total, 27 in this make and model, 130 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210515009349I

## Narrative

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

ON 5/15/2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 1325 LOCAL TIME, MOONEY M-20-C, REGISTRATION NUMBER N2948L, PILOTED BY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DUE TO THE AIRCRAFT LANDING WITHOUT THE GEAR FULLY LOCKED IN THE DOWN POSITION ON RUNWAY 21 AT THE FOOTHILLS REGIONAL AIRPORT (MRN).   WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE VFR AND THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER PART 91.  PIC WAS CURRENT AND QUALIFIED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS WITHIN ITS ANNUAL INSPECTION PERIOD.

A WITNESS, HOLDING SHORT FOR TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 21, STATED THAT HE SAW THE AIRCRAFT CROSS IN FRONT OF HIM WITH THE GEAR IN THE DOWN POSITION.  THE PIC STATED THE GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER LANDING UPON DECELERATION TO TAXI OFF RUNWAY 21. WITH THE AIRCRAFT ON JACKS, VIDEO EVIDENCE INDICATES THE LANDING GEAR IS UNABLE TO BE PROPERLY LOCKED INTO THE BRACKET, PART NUMBER 560050, DUE TO IT BEING WORN BEYOND LIMITS AND THAT THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM WAS OUT OF RIGGING SPECIFICATIONS AS INSPECTED BY THE AIRCRAFT MECHANIC.  THIS, IN COMBINATION WITH THE GEAR BEING OUT OF RIG AND THE PILOTS FAILURE TO ENSURE PROPER WORKING ORDER OF THE SAFETY LATCH BUTTON AS DESCRIBED IN THE FLIGHT MANUAL, LEAD TO THE UNINTENDED RETRACTION OF THE GEAR UPON LANDING.

MOONEY ISSUED A SERVICE INSTRUCTION DATED 12/12/2013 ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPERLY MAINTAINING THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM AT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION.

RELATED RECORDS: EA68202102559, EA68202102552, EA68202102767

## Other reports on N2948L (1)

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

- [Incident 19871018073339I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19871018073339I), Oct 18, 1987: Mooney M20C (N2948L), White Plains, NY, Minor damage. Failed to lock landing gear in down position. Gear collapsed on rollout.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.