- Date
- May 3, 2020, 10:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Athens, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N231DWMooney M20K
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200503005449A
- Case key
- 101243
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 collapse of the left main landing gear for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
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
According to the pilot, while on approach, he lowered the airplane's landing gear and confirmed that the landing gear was down and locked by observing the panel and floor indicators in the cockpit; however, during the subsequent landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway into a ditch. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wingtip spar was buckled, and the torque tubing associated with the left main landing gear was bent and broken. Review of the logbook records did not reveal any recent maintenance on the landing gear system. Due to the damage of the landing gear assembly, a landing gear retraction test or rigging check could not be performed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N231DW
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0144
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 6,206
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360 SER, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 2, 2019
- Departed
- PDK · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- AHN · Athens, GA
- Airport
- AHN · Athens/Ben Epps, runway 27, 6,122 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 2, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,340 total · 113.8 in this make and model · 1,248.4 as pilot in command · 3.4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- AHN
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.1 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.