WPR11LA049

The pilot said that he completed the landing checklist, which included putting the landing gear down, while on the downwind leg for landing and that he made a final check of the landing gear handle, mixture, and propeller controls while on final approach. The approach and touchdown were normal, but, during the landing roll, the airplane came to a sudden stop on its belly. Postaccident examination revealed that the Johnson bar operating handle for the manual landing gear system was not in the fully locked position. Therefore, the landing gear was down but not locked into position during touchdown, and it subsequently collapsed during the landing roll.

On November 11, 2010, about 1035 mountain standard time, a Mooney M20B, Canadian registration C-GFRP, had the landing gear collapse during landing at Marana Regional Airport, Marana, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot (Canadian certificate) and one passenger were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to several fuselage bulkheads during the accident sequence. The cross-country personal flight departed Phoenix Regional Airport, Maricopa, Arizona, about 0915, with a planned destination of Marana Regional Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported that he completed the landing checklist while on the downwind leg. The landing gear was down, flaps were deployed, and he was maintaining an approach speed of 80 miles per hour for the base leg and final approach. The pilot stated that while on final approach he checked the gear lever, mixture, and propeller controls. He indicated that the approach and touchdown were normal. After touchdown, the airplane came to a sudden stop. He made a radio call announcing his position on the runway, and his situation. He turned the magnetos and master switch off prior to exiting the airplane. The airplane was sitting on the centerline for runway 12 with no landing gear visible. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane. He stated that it was equipped with the manual gear system utilizing the Johnson bar operating handle. He determined during the examination that the handle was not in the fully locked position. Therefore, the landing gear was down, but not locked into position. Upon landing rollout, the gear collapsed back into their normal retracted position. When the landing gear retracted, the airplane dropped to the ground and skidded on the belly of the fuselage.