- Date
- April 1, 2009, 18:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Salem, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N115MSMooney M20J
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Case key
- 73631
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 pilot's failure to follow the landing checklist and extended the landing gear.
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 practicing takeoff and landings when he extended the landing gear and heard the landing gear motor start while the airplane was on the downwind leg to the runway. The pilot noticed that the landing gear was not down during the landing flare. The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted, and the airplane skidded about 500 feet before coming to a stop. The airplane received substantial damage when the airplane's firewall and underside skin were damaged. During the airplane's recovery, the landing gear control handle was placed into the down position and the landing gear extended when the master switch was placed into the on position. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
The pilot was practicing takeoff and landings when he extended the landing gear and heard the landing gear motor start while the airplane was on the downwind leg to runway 10 (2,738 feet by 50 feet, asphalt). The pilot noticed that the landing gear was not down during the landing flare. The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted, and the airplane skidded about 500 feet before coming to a stop. The airplane received substantial damage when the airplane's firewall and underside skin were damaged. During the airplane's recovery, the landing gear control handle was placed into the down position and the landing gear extended when the master switch was placed into the on position. Post accident inspection of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N115MS
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-0031
- Airframe hours
- 3,366
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilot
- Registered owner
- Caren Schamel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 20, 2009
- Departed
- I83 · Salem, IN
- Destination
- I83 · Salem, IN
- Airport
- I83 · Salem Municipal Airport, runway 10, 2,738 × 50 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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 550 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk