Not my best landing...

[Larrynoel]

The other day all was well on approach... Then just before my flare I hit wind shear and down I went.  Lets say it was not my smoothest landing.  I was only feet off the ground  when it happened.  I checked out the all the gear and supports and did not find any damage to the airplane.  I am impressed with the strength of the Mooney landing gear.  Just how hard of a landing can they handle before you damage your airplane? I know I'm not the only one out there that fudged a landing...lol 

[richardheitzman]

when you blow out a landing gear puck, you landed too hard. Other then that, you are good to go.

[HopePilot]

Before I bought my J, I did a few hours in a C.  I can attest from one landing, that you can land extremely hard on the mains without doing damage.

[FlyDave]

One issue with hard landings in a Mooney is that the mains are directly below the fuel tanks. Repeaded hard landings <<could>> result in leaky tanks wether or not you damage the gear.

[DaV8or]

Quote: FlyDave

One issue with hard landings in a Mooney is that the mains are directly below the fuel tanks. Repeaded hard landings <> result in leaky tanks wether or not you damage the gear.

[Piloto]

Quote: FlyDave

One issue with hard landings in a Mooney is that the mains are directly below the fuel tanks. Repeaded hard landings <> result in leaky tanks wether or not you damage the gear.

[sleepingsquirrel]

Quote: Piloto

 Leaving fuel in the tanks helps to keep the temps down, specially when the plane is left out in the sun.  

Jose

[N33GG]

I wish you had a video of that landing.  I have never seen what a bad landing looks like.  :-)

[DaV8or]

Quote: sleepingsquirrel

 I flip mine over on the tie down every 15 minutes to insure even heating.

[docket]

I landed once at a friend's ranch that supposedly had a well manicured turf runway -- it wasn't.  In addition, it had trees at each end and was pretty short.  I brought the plane in extra slow and had a hard landing which taught me that my gauge (on my S model) is whether you bend the spring that holds the main gear door closed.  The spring can get bent as the middle gear door (the one on the wheel) rotates with the suspension.  Other than that there was no other issue with the plane and it didn't cause any tank leaks.

Now, in my own ignorance I don't know if your plane has the middle gear door. 

[aviatoreb]

Quote: sleepingsquirrel

 I flip mine over on the tie down every 15 minutes to insure even heating.

[Larrynoel]

You guys are too funny.  lmao:) I think I will install some airbags in my wheel wells just in case I have another hard landing... I wonder if that would really work?  It looks like my mooney is ok.

[Shadrach]

I'm guessing your bird is fine.  We've all dropped it on a time or two with the exception of N6719N... :-)

I'm with Jose on the tank leaks.  I think someone suggested back in 1973 that hard landings cause tank leaks and it's been repeated so many times that........

 

[richardheitzman]

Well coming from the Factory (ex employee) it is true. If you do not change your pucks out, and continue with hard landings the shock is transmitted into the wings via the spar, and the leaks will start, especially in older aircraft.

$1k to change pucks, $8K for strip and reseal. No brainer for me.

[Shadrach]

Richard, I did not know you were an ex-factory employee, would you explain the failure mode???

[jlunseth]

I did one hard one at Willmar.  Wind something like 28 G 36  variable 140 to 320 and it was not better in ground effect.  Everything was working fine until about 10 feet off the runway, then the "variable" part hit me and blew me over to the runway side lights at the same time the bottom dropped out.  I never knew those runway lights were actually 10 feet tall.  That is sure what they looked like from the cockpit.  I hit hard once and bounced, powered up immediately and went around.  The second attempt was when I discovered that a 231 will land at 90 with no flaps, really pretty well, and you have way more rudder authority than at 70. 

[Shadrach]

Any Mooney will "land" at a significant speed above stall speed...the question is what happens if you pull back on the yoke...  I could fly my F on at 90,100,120, but I would not call it landing... I would call it flying in really low ground effect...

[mooneygirl]

I just did my landing pucks. It wasn't $1000.  They were $87 each from LASAR, plus shippin times 12.  Plus installation. I have to say that the difference is very dramatic.  From taxi to landing, smooth.

[DaV8or]

Quote: mooneygirl

I just did my landing pucks. It wasn't $1000.  They were $87 each from LASAR, plus shippin times 12.  Plus installation. I have to say that the difference is very dramatic.  From taxi to landing, smooth.

[jlunseth]

Quote: Shadrach

Any Mooney will "land" at a significant speed above stall speed...the question is what happens if you pull back on the yoke...