DEN03LA013

The pilot said he made a full flap landing. Instead of keeping the nose wheel off the runway, he relaxed elevator back pressure. When the nose wheel contacted the runway, the airplane swerved to the left. The pilot attempted to straighten the airplane using right rudder and brakes, but was unsuccessfull and he lost directional control. The airplane went off the runway and traveled across snow-covered grass. The right main and nose landing gears collapsed, and the airplane slid to a halt on the upslope side of a drainage ditch parallel to the runway. Postaccident examination disclosed the steering horn attach bolt was sheared at the nut end and the bolt head was slightly backed away from the nose gear truss where it attached. Mooney Service Bulletin M20-169, dated July 18, 1968, requires the replacement of the AN3-20A bolt with a NAS623-3-29 screw. This had not been accomplished. No brake discrepancies were noted. It could not be determined if the bolt had sheared prior to or upon touchdown or during the impact sequence. The pilot later said that if he had held the nose wheel off the runway as long as possible instead of relaxing elevator back pressure when the airplane touched down, speed would have dissipated and he could have kept the airplane on the runway by using differential braking. Damage consisted of collapsed right main and nose landing gears, buckled wing and nose gear attach points, firewall, several wing ribs, and crushed wing tips and tail cone.

On November 3, 2002, at 1734 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20E, N9288M, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when it exited the runway and collided with a drainage ditch during landing at Jeffco Airport, Broomfield, Colorado. The private pilot and two passengers were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The local flight originated at Broomfield approximately 1600.

The following is based on telephone conversations with the pilot and his accident report. He said he made a full flap landing on runway 29R. Instead of keeping the nose wheel off the runway, he relaxed elevator back pressure. When the nose wheel contacted the runway, the airplane swerved to the left. The pilot attempted to straighten the airplane using right rudder and brakes, but to no avail and he lost directional control. The airplane went off the runway and traveled across snow-covered grass. The right main and nose landing gears collapsed, and the airplane slid to a halt on the upslope side of a drainage ditch parallel to the runway.

According to a Beegles Aircraft Services employee who examined the airplane, he found "the steering horn attach bolt sheared at the nut end and the bolt head was slightly backed away from the nose gear truss where it attaches." The employee noted that the sheared AN3-20A bolt was supposed to have "been replaced by a NAS623-3-29 screw as per Mooney Service Bulletin M20-169, dated July 18, 1968. This had not been accomplished. No discrepancies were noted...with the brakes." It could not be determined if the bolt had sheared prior to or upon touchdown or during the impact sequence.

In a subsequent telephone conversation, the pilot said that in retrospect he thought he could have minimized the damage to his airplane. Instead of relaxing elevator back pressure after the airplane touched down, he should have held the nose wheel off the runway as long as possible. In so doing, speed would have dissipated and he could have kept the airplane on the runway by using differential braking.

According to Rocky Mountain Straight Flight, the facility assigned by the pilot to repair the airplane, damage consisted of collapsed right main and nose landing gears, buckled wing and nose gear attach points, firewall, several wing ribs, and crushed wing tips and tail cone.