# NTSB DEN03LA007: Mooney M20J, N8084D, Englewood, CO, October 14, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 14, 2002, 15:20 local (21:20 UTC) - Place: Englewood, CO - Coordinates: 39.569999, -104.849441 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5700&lon=-104.8494&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Denver Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 55949 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN03LA007 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55949/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA007 ## Probable cause the complete collapse of the landing gear, during landing roll, for undetermined reasons. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Complete gear collapsed, landing - roll - landing gear,gear locking mechanism - not engaged - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) ## Analysis The pilot said that when he put the landing gear down, everything "sounded and felt normal," but he had an unsafe gear indication. He made a pass over the airport, and tower personnel indicated that all three landing gear appeared to be down and locked. The pilot requested that a Mooney mechanic also confirm the position of the gear. After working with a mechanic to manually lock the gear into place, the mechanic stated that the gear did appear to be down and locked, and that most often the problem was with the indicator rather than the gear itself. Although the unsafe light was still illuminated, the pilot decided to land. During the landing roll, the gear collapsed and the airplane exited the south side of runway 28 into the dirt. According to the pilot's accident report, the reason for the collapse of the landing gear had not been determined. ## Factual narrative On October 14, 2002, at approximately 1520 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20J, N8084D, was substantially damaged when the landing gear collapsed during landing roll at Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight that originated from Montrose, Colorado, approximately 2 hours before the accident. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot said that when he put the landing gear down everything "sounded and felt normal," but he had an unsafe gear indication. He made a pass over the airport, and tower personnel indicated that all three landing gear appeared to be down and locked. The pilot requested that a mechanic (familiar with Mooney aircraft) watch him fly-by and give him his opinion on the landing gear problem. The mechanic said that "everything looked great and that ninety five percent of the time, the problem was an indicator problem, not an actual mechanical failure. Although the unsafe light was still illuminated, the pilot decided to land. During the landing roll, the gear collapsed and the airplane exited the south side of runway 28 into the dirt. The bulkhead at station 53 was bent, and the prop and engine were also damaged. According to the pilot's accident report, the reason for the collapse of the landing gear had not been determined. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8084D](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8084D-2013-08-08), registration cancelled 2013-08-08, S/N 24-0894, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Mooney M20J - Registry model: [Mooney M20J](https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j) (registry code 5870219) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 SER A&C](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-ser-a-c) (registry code 41511, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-0894 - Airframe hours: 3969 - Engines: Lycoming IO 360 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Steven M. Potter - Registered owner: Tech-Sites Corp. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 9, 2002, 168 hours before - Departed: MTJ, Montrose, CO - Destination: APA, Englewood, CO - Airport: APA, Centennial, runway 28, 4,904 × 62 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review August 24, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 575 total, 530 in this make and model, 480 as pilot in command, 62 in the last 90 days, 36 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 60° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 59 °F, dew point 12 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: APA ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20021014028709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021014028709A), Oct 14, 2002: Mooney M20J, Denver, CO, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot lowered landing gear using power system, but received an unsafe gear indicator light. Made pass over runway for tower personnel to examine gear… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.