20231120019359I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20R · Butler, PA · November 20, 2023

Date
November 20, 2023 · 12:40 local
Place
Butler, PA
Airport
Pittsburgh/Butler Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N21434
Reported as
Mooney M20R
Reported engine
Continental IO-550 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,430 total830 in this make and model28 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.

On 11/20/2023 the pilot in command landed gear up at Butler county airport at approximately 1300. The PIC reported that he thought he had placed the gear handle in the down position. Video evidence showed that the gear was in the up position. The pilot reported that there were numerous aircraft in the pattern during his arrival at the non-towered airfield. The pilot reported hearing three beeps at the second selection of flaps. The pilot reported that he felt the landing was normal until the sound of scraping and the sudden stoppage of the propeller. The pilot reported that he and airport personnel removed the aircraft from the runway with a rope. Once the aircraft was adjacent to the runway in the grassy area, bags were used to raise the aircraft and the gear was lowered manually by the pilot. The aircraft was then towed to the pilot's hangar.

As the FAA filed it

ON 11/20/2023 THE PILOT IN COMMAND LANDED GEAR UP AT BUTLER COUNTY AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1300. THE PIC REPORTED THAT HE THOUGHT HE HAD PLACED THE GEAR HANDLE IN THE DOWN POSITION. VIDEO EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT THE GEAR WAS IN THE UP POSITION. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS AIRCRAFT IN THE PATTERN DURING HIS ARRIVAL AT THE NON-TOWERED AIRFIELD. THE PILOT REPORTED HEARING THREE BEEPS AT THE SECOND SELECTION OF FLAPS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE FELT THE LANDING WAS NORMAL UNTIL THE SOUND OF SCRAPING AND THE SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF THE PROPELLER. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE AND AIRPORT PERSONNEL REMOVED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY WITH A ROPE. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY IN THE GRASSY AREA, BAGS WERE USED TO RAISE THE AIRCRAFT AND THE GEAR WAS LOWERED MANUALLY BY THE PILOT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE PILOT'S HANGAR.