- Date
- October 17, 2021, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lynchburg, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N669GJMooney M20C
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: 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
- 20211017017139A
- Case key
- 104130
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 uncommanded landing gear retraction following a hard landing for reasons that could not be determined.
Findings · 1
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 reported that he extended the landing gear while performing a 360º turn to lose altitude on final approach and verified that it was down and locked. Upon landing, the landing gear retracted, and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A witness waiting to depart stated that the landing gear was down and the airplane appeared to land harder than usual in the gusting conditions. The airplane bounced twice, and on the second bounce, while the airplane was airborne, the landing gear retracted into the up position. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the gear lever was in the retracted position and the landing gear functioned normally. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that on a previous flight, the landing gear lever became unlatched and during all subsequent flights, he would forcefully jerk on the lever to ensure it was latched.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N669GJ
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1946
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 4,356
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 21, 2020 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- JZP · Jasper, GA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LYH · Lynchburg Rgnl/Preston Glenn Fld, runway 04, 7,100 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 77
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- February 8, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 850 total · 154 in this make and model · 730 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- LYH
- METAR
- KLYH 171554Z VRB04KT 10SM CLR 17/02 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP176 T01670017
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 25, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.5 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.