- Date
- November 11, 2008, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1264XMooney M20E
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 12, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA San Antonio FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081111852269A
- Case key
- 69436
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to lower the gear before landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to complete the before landing checklist.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was returning to land at the non-towered airport after aborting a cross country flight because of deteriorating weather conditions. The pilot said he was focused on the proper glide path during the final approach and that he forgot to lower the landing gear. The airplane slid to a stop on the runway with the landing gear still retracted. There were no injuries to the solo pilot on board, but substantial structural damage to the belly of the fuselage.
Factual narrative
The pilot was returning to land at the non-towered airport after aborting a cross country flight because of deteriorating weather conditions. The pilot said he was focused on the proper glide path during the final approach and that he forgot to lower the landing gear. The airplane slid to a stop on the runway with the landing gear still retracted. There were no injuries to the solo pilot on board, but substantial structural damage to the belly of the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1264X
- Reported as
- Mooney M20E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 137
- Airframe hours
- 4,620
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 201 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 12, 2008 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- 8T8 · San Antonio, TX
- Destination
- KCUH · Cushing, OK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 8T8 · San Geronimo Airport, runway 17, 3,000 × 40 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 17, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 126 total · 14 in this make and model · 21 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAT, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.