Mooney M20J N58135

Summary

On 23 March 2012 at about 17:30 local time, a Mooney M20J registered N58135, operated by Brubaker Clifford E, was involved in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 March 2012 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Butler, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Butler County Airport (BTP)

Coordinates

40.7764, -79.9511

Aircraft

Mooney M20J

Registration

N58135

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Brubaker Clifford E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Butler → Butler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA247

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, when he returned to the airport after a local flight, two airplanes were in the traffic pattern and a third airplane was inbound about 10 miles east. To sequence with the two airplanes in the pattern and the third airplane on the extended downwind leg, the pilot did not enter the traffic pattern at the midpoint of the downwind leg, but entered the traffic pattern closer to the approach end of the intended runway. He lowered the flaps, but did not lower the landing gear. He turned onto the base leg, extended full flaps, and then turned onto final approach. While on final approach, the pilot had a sense that the airplane was fast and that the “sight picture” was lower than usual, but he did not detect that the landing gear was retracted or recall hearing the landing gear warning horn. He heard the propeller contact the runway and attempted to lower the landing gear, but it was too late. He heard the landing gear warning horn after the airplane came to rest. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a main stringer and leading edge rib inside the right wing were damaged. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.