- Date
- June 13, 2003, 21:20 local (Jun 14, 2003, 03:20 UTC)
- Place
- Boise, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6806UMooney M20C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030614011719A
- Case key
- 57246
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
Failure of the welds on the nose landing gear retraction truss during taxi for takeoff..
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
While taxiing for takeoff the left main landing gear and nose landing gear both collapsed. The airplane skidded to a stop, coming to rest on its left wing and propeller, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. FAA Airworthiness Inspector revealed that there was a failure of the welds on the nose landing gear retraction truss (LH).
Factual narrative
On June 13, 2003, approximately 2120 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20C single-engine airplane, N6806U, was substantially damaged during a gear collapse while taxiing for take off at the Boise Air Terminal/Gowan Field, Boise, Idaho. The airplane was registered to Mooney Forfour Inc., Shawnee, Kansas, and operated by the pilot. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the proposed 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, which was destined for Seattle, Washington.
In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, and according to the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB form 6120.1/2), the pilot reported that while taxiing to runway 10R for takeoff, and without any warning, the left main landing gear and nose landing gear both collapsed. The airplane skidded to a stop, coming to rest on its left wing and propeller.
An FAA inspector, who examined the aircraft, reported substantial damage to the left wing, approximately one-third of the way inboard from the wing tip. The inspector also reported that all three propeller blades had been bent forward. A subsequent examination by an FAA Airworthiness Inspector revealed there was a failure of the welds on the nose landing gear retraction truss (LH).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6806U
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2521
- Engine
- Lycoming O&V0-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BOI · Boise, ID
- Destination
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Airport
- BOI · Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field, runway 10R, 9,763 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 24, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,790 total · 1,463 in this make and model · 1,680 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 15 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- BOI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.