Excellent air safety institute video with Mooney shoutout

[bradp]

 

Something that came up was (for everyone without a D Model) - gear up or gear down in a field.  Gear up perhaps your stopping distance is shorter.  Gear down perhaps you have some accouterments that can be shed to dissipate energy.  Some Mooney POHs say either up or down.  Thoughts? 

[Mooneymite]

I'd have to make that decision "in situ".

Not all farmers fields are created equal and you can't really see what you've bought until close.  Even if I'd used the gear to dissipate energy prior to touchdown, I might raise it if the terrain looksd soft, or inhospitible on short final.

[Hank]

Yep. Ploughed ground or beans, gear up. Pastureland, corn, probably gear down. I rememberan ASI video about a Comanche going down in the desrt, the gear were pushed up through the wing by the broken groind. It would be bad to make that many sparks so close to the fuel tanks

Landing across a slope or into trees? Maybe down to help dissipate some energy.

All in all, it depends in what I see out tbe windshield. And with fast electric gear, I can change my mind pretty quickly. 

[cnoe]

I agree that the ultimate answer is situational but also agree with the interviewee that once the fan up front stops making power the goal is to use the airframe as a vehicle to minimize energy transfer to its occupants. The tubular steel framed cabin is perhaps the #1 Mooney attribute. As the old adage goes “if the engine quits it’s the insurance company’s plane”.

Having made a few landings on grass strips I can testify that our gear isn’t very compliant on rough ground so it would have to appear quite smooth before I’d leave it down. And remember how robust our birds are when bellied in. When’s the last time you heard of a Mooney being scrapped following a gear-up landing?

Therefore my default is likely to keep the gear up during an off-field and only drop it if a decent roll-out looks likely.


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[Boilermonkey]

I'd be concerned about catching one of the mains on uneven ground causing the aircraft to roll. Seems less likely with gear up.

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[Hank]

7 hours ago, Boilermonkey said:

I'd be concerned about catching one of the mains on uneven ground causing the aircraft to roll. Seems less likely with gear up.

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There are things hanging off the bottom of our planes that can dig in and catch on soft ground, too. Rolling ground can catch a flap, then there's that step hanging down on a steel tube, the belly strobe, flap hinges under each wing . . . . Who has belly antennas? Even the tail tie down ring could make life exciting.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Hank