20230906014489I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20E · Marana, AZ · September 6, 2023

Date
September 6, 2023 · 09:15 local
Place
Marana, AZ
Airport
Pinal Airpark
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5554Q
Reported as
Mooney M20E
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot

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.

PIC flew to kmzj while descending to pattern altitude. PIC made several calls on the Pinal CTAF to inform local traffic of his intentions. PIC slowed to below 120 mph and extended the landing gear. Next, PIC performed a 45-degree entry to the downwind leg for rwy 12. While on downwind PIC reduced speed to 90 mph and completed a gumpfs checklist and grasped the landing gear’s manual activation lever (johnson bar) and gave it a hard tug to ensure the gear was down and locked. PIC continued to the base leg and pumped the flaps down to their landing position and slowed to 80 mph. PIC flew the plane in the landing configuration to final for runway 12 at kmzj. While on short final, PIC reduced power and descended at about 75 mph IAS for landing. The speed of the plane was further reduced in the flair and touchdown was at a normal speed (about 65 mph). There was no bounce and only very slight side loading on the gear at touch down. The aircraft tires made contact with the runway near the centerline and roughly two thirds of the distance from the threshold to the 1,000-foot runway markings. The rollout began normally. The brakes were not applied because PIC had planned to perform a “touch and go”. During the several seconds while the plane was still rolling with power at idle, but before the PIC had configured the flaps and power for take-off, the landing gear collapsed. As this happened, initially the plane pulled slightly toward the right side of the runway as it settled and the propellor struck the runway. The plane slid on its belly, smoothly decelerating until it came to a stop on the runway. PIC then stopped the engine by pulling out the mixture control. Before exiting the plane, PIC used the radio to alert the local traffic that the runway was closed. The starter/ignition switch was turned to the off position and the key was removed and the master switch was moved to the off position and the fuel valve was turned to the closed position. PIC observed the position of the johnson bar and noticed that it was between the extended and the retracted position; the tip of the bar was about 3 inches above the normal retracted position. PIC pushed the johnson bar into the retracted position socket so that the gear would not drop unexpectedly while the plane was being lifted. PIC and passenger exited the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

PIC FLEW TO KMZJ WHILE DESCENDING TO PATTERN ALTITUDE. PIC MADE SEVERAL CALLS ON THE PINAL CTAF TO INFORM LOCAL TRAFFIC OF HIS INTENTIONS. PIC SLOWED TO BELOW 120 MPH AND EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR. NEXT, PIC PERFORMED A 45-DEGREE ENTRY TO THE DOWNWIND LEG FOR RWY 12. WHILE ON DOWNWIND PIC REDUCED SPEED TO 90 MPH AND COMPLETED A GUMPFS CHECKLIST AND GRASPED THE LANDING GEAR’S MANUAL ACTIVATION LEVER (JOHNSON BAR) AND GAVE IT A HARD TUG TO ENSURE THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. PIC CONTINUED TO THE BASE LEG AND PUMPED THE FLAPS DOWN TO THEIR LANDING POSITION AND SLOWED TO 80 MPH. PIC FLEW THE PLANE IN THE LANDING CONFIGURATION TO FINAL FOR RUNWAY 12 AT KMZJ. WHILE ON SHORT FINAL, PIC REDUCED POWER AND DESCENDED AT ABOUT 75 MPH IAS FOR LANDING. THE SPEED OF THE PLANE WAS FURTHER REDUCED IN THE FLAIR AND TOUCHDOWN WAS AT A NORMAL SPEED (ABOUT 65 MPH). THERE WAS NO BOUNCE AND ONLY VERY SLIGHT SIDE LOADING ON THE GEAR AT TOUCH DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT TIRES MADE CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY NEAR THE CENTERLINE AND ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS OF THE DISTANCE FROM THE THRESHOLD TO THE 1,000-FOOT RUNWAY MARKINGS. THE ROLLOUT BEGAN NORMALLY. THE BRAKES WERE NOT APPLIED BECAUSE PIC HAD PLANNED TO PERFORM A “TOUCH AND GO”. DURING THE SEVERAL SECONDS WHILE THE PLANE WAS STILL ROLLING WITH POWER AT IDLE, BUT BEFORE THE PIC HAD CONFIGURED THE FLAPS AND POWER FOR TAKE-OFF, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. AS THIS HAPPENED, INITIALLY THE PLANE PULLED SLIGHTLY TOWARD THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AS IT SETTLED AND THE PROPELLOR STRUCK THE RUNWAY. THE PLANE SLID ON ITS BELLY, SMOOTHLY DECELERATING UNTIL IT CAME TO A STOP ON THE RUNWAY. PIC THEN STOPPED THE ENGINE BY PULLING OUT THE MIXTURE CONTROL. BEFORE EXITING THE PLANE, PIC USED THE RADIO TO ALERT THE LOCAL TRAFFIC THAT THE RUNWAY WAS CLOSED. THE STARTER/IGNITION SWITCH WAS TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION AND THE KEY WAS REMOVED AND THE MASTER SWITCH WAS MOVED TO THE OFF POSITION AND THE FUEL VALVE WAS TURNED TO THE CLOSED POSITION. PIC OBSERVED THE POSITION OF THE JOHNSON BAR AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS BETWEEN THE EXTENDED AND THE RETRACTED POSITION; THE TIP OF THE BAR WAS ABOUT 3 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL RETRACTED POSITION. PIC PUSHED THE JOHNSON BAR INTO THE RETRACTED POSITION SOCKET SO THAT THE GEAR WOULD NOT DROP UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE THE PLANE WAS BEING LIFTED. PIC AND PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT.