- Date
- May 3, 2024, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Conway, SC · HYW Airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3777Mooney M20K
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- 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
- 20240503007979A
- Case key
- 194268
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’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
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 airplane had just undergone an annual inspection and the pilot was returning to the airport after conducting a post-maintenance flight test. The pilot stated that he made a normal approach to land with both the flaps and landing gear extended. He further described that upon landing, the airplane settled to the runway, and skidded to a stop resulting in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed minor damage to the nose landing gear door and no damage to the main landing gear doors. The landing gear was subsequently cycled several times using both normal and emergency methods. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted that would have precluded normal operation of the landing gear system. Based on this information, it is most likely that the pilot landed the airplane with the landing gear still retracted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3777
- Reported as
- Mooney M20K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-0888
- Built
- 1985
- Airframe hours
- 3,221.4
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-NB, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wings Of Eagles
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2024
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HYW · Conway-Horry County, runway 22, 4,400 × 75 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 5, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,850 total · 74 in this make and model · 4,175 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KHYW
- METAR
- METAR KHYW 032035Z AUTO 14007KT 10SM CLR 27/18 A3002
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 30, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.6 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.