- Date
- December 1, 1986, 18:00 local (Dec 2, 1986, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kerrville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1970YMooney M20D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861201063739A
- Case key
- 22303
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was unable to extend the landing gear in preparation for landing. Troubleshooting and several attempts to extend the gear failed. The pilot then made a 360 degree turn over the airport to lose altitude during which, he secured the engine and stopped the propeller in a horizontal position to minimize damage. The pilot realized after 270 degrees of turn that insufficient altitude remained to reach the runway. The aircraft was subsequently landed on rough terrain short of runway 30. Post accident inspection revealed the nose gear tire was handing up on the gear door during extension. The nose gear tire was found to be inflated to 40 PSI. The maintenance manual call for an inflation pressure of 30 PSI.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1970Y
- Reported as
- Mooney M20D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 235
- Airframe hours
- 2,835
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A2D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Chester N. Steele
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 1986
- Departed
- SAT · San Antonio, TX
- Airport
- ERV · Kerrville, runway 30, 4,400 × 100 ft
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,816 total · 1,394 in this make and model · 3,753 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 91 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.