Mooney M20E N7845V

Summary

On 22 July 2018 at about 15:15 local time, a Mooney M20E registered N7845V was involved in an accident near Great Falls, Montana, United States. 2 people were 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

22 July 2018 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Great Falls, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Great Falls Intl (GTF)

Coordinates

47.4825, -111.3567

Aircraft

Mooney M20E

Registration

N7845V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Great Falls → Great Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA438

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s incorrect use of the landing gear system and his and the pilot’s failure to ensure that the landing gear was extended, which resulted in a gear-up landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s unfamiliarity with the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that they were conducting a "familiarization/instructional flight" in the retractable-gear airplane and that this was his first flight with the instructor. After practicing commercial maneuvers, they entered the traffic pattern, and the instructor wanted to acquaint himself with the "Johnson bar"-style landing gear system. The "Johnson bar" (manually operated retraction/extension handle) is pulled up to extend the landing gear and pushed down to retract the landing gear. The instructor then pushed the Johnson bar down in what he thought was the landing gear extended position. The pilot added that, although he twice verified that the landing gear was extended, the airplane landed with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that the flight was briefed as a "familiarization" flight because he was unfamiliar with the airplane. He added that the pilot had time in the airplane, and the intent was for him to become familiar with the performance and limitations of the airplane before he began conducting commercial training for the pilot. He added that he became distracted with the operation of the flaps and did not verify the landing gear position indicator lights located on the left side of the cockpit. He also added that he did not hear the gear warning horn. The pilot and flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.