- Date
- January 13, 2012, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Willmar, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N262RWMooney M20K
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120113000409A
- Case key
- 82694
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 landed without lowering the landing gear.
Findings · 2
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 student pilot extended the downwind leg of the traffic pattern on his third solo landing to provide spacing for another airplane. He said that he forgot to lower the landing gear and inadvertently landed with the gear up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom cabin structure of the fuselage. The student pilot reported that the landing gear warning activated; however, he thought it was the stall warning. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was performing his third solo landing. He extended the downwind leg of the traffic pattern to provide spacing for another airplane. The student pilot stated that he forgot to extend the landing gear and inadvertently landed gear up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom cabin structure of the fuselage. The student pilot reported that the landing gear warning activated; however, he thought it was the stall warning. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N262RW
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0649
- Airframe hours
- 2,588
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 15, 2011
- Departed
- BDH · Willmar, MN
- Destination
- BDH · Willmar, MN
- Airport
- BDH · Willmar Municipal Airport-John, runway 31, 5,500 × 100 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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 50 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 10 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- BDH
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 2, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N262RW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.