# Incident 20260824012509I: Mooney M20J, Fitchburg, MA, August 24, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 24, 2026, 20:00 local time
- Place: Fitchburg, MA
- Airport: Fitchburg Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.5538° N, 71.7592° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FITCHBURG MUNI (FIT), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5538&lon=-71.7592&mi=10
- Aircraft: N201LT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N201LT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20J (registry code 5870219, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20J
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,030 total, 950 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260824012509I

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 24, 2026, AT APPROXIMATELY 20:00 EDT, A MOONEY AIRCRAFT, OPERATED BY THE OWNER AS THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC), SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LOWER FUSELAGE, ENGINE EXHAUST, COCKPIT STEP, AND PROPELLER BLADE TIPS DURING A GEAR-UP LANDING AT FITCHBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KFIT). DURING THE LANDING APPROACH TO RUNWAY 32, THE (PIC) STATED THEY WERE INTERRUPTED BY A TELEPHONE CALL AND FAILED TO PLACE THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE (PIC) STATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WARNING HORN WAS ACTIVATED DURING THE APPROACH. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED, AND THE LOWER FUSELAGE CONTACTED THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE PROPELLER BLADE TIPS SUBSEQUENTLY STRUCK THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SLID ALONG THE RUNWAY AND EVENTUALLY CAME TO A STOP AFTER VEERING TO THE RIGHT OF THE CENTERLINE. THE PIC SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT, WHERE HE WAS MET BY AIRPORT PERSONNEL. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE (PIC) STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A PILOT'S CHECKLIST; HOWEVER, (PIC) STATED THE CHECKLIST WAS NOT USED DURING THE LANDING.

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.