M20F down near KFUL - Minor/Moderate Injuries

[Hank]

1 hour ago, IvanP said:

Could landing gear up possibly avoid the collision with the tree?

That's likely. But depending on the surface you land on, bad things can happen--spinning, digging in the front, etc.

Also, gear up on a road gives up all directional control, like when your car slides on black ice--it's going where it goes, and you're along for the ride, holding on and hoping real hard. He did well with control, until the wingtip clipped the first pole.

[MooneyMitch]

My experience, landing on a smooth surface [LPC Runway 25], on the center line with the gear retracted, my Mooney continued in a straight line as it came to a full stop.  Again, who knows what would have happened in this Fullerton situation with a possible bump or something else in/on the road, and whether the pilot would have struck the road straight in the center, or whether he would have touched down smooth without a bounce .................

All unknowns indeed.   So fortunate they are. 

[IvanP]

1 hour ago, MooneyMitch said:

My opinion, the airplane will stop in a shorter distance with gear retraced. In this situation, who knows.  Again, second guessing on this is hypocritical at best.   And with seconds or less to make the decision and retract the gear under the circumstances the pilot was experiencing……wow!   

I am not second guessing the pilot;s decisions, just curious about opinions and/or experiences of others who may have been in similar situation.

[donkaye]

No fire?  No fuel?

[Echo]

4 hours ago, Hank said:

That's likely. But depending on the surface you land on, bad things can happen--spinning, digging in the front, etc.

Also, gear up on a road gives up all directional control, like when your car slides on black ice--it's going where it goes, and you're along for the ride, holding on and hoping real hard. He did well with control, until the wingtip clipped the first pole.

I am going to disagree Hank.  Pilot did a wonderful job, but if you watch the video there was a HUGE bounce.  This was NOT under control.  Had he been gear up the slide on belly would of started the reduction in speed with drag.  With gear up he would of had less drag out while in the air.  Once my engine craps out I am going gear up.  I have watched this over and over.  the initial bounce is substantial on this one.  NOT second guessing pilots decision, but for me it's GEAR UP all the way in this scenario.

[T. Peterson]

He did not stall the airplane. I have nothing to offer except KUDOS.

[EricJ]

A friend that rents out airplanes recently had a renter run one of his Arrows out of fuel and landed it on a street, for some reason with the gear up.    Might have been able to fly it out otherwise.

I only knew this because I was coming back from the northern part of the state at the time and heard it play out on guard.   I asked him about it later...he's naturally not very happy with the guy.   AFAIK there were no injuries, which is the most important part.   

[Echo]

1 hour ago, EricJ said:

A friend that rents out airplanes recently had a renter run one of his Arrows out of fuel and landed it on a street, for some reason with the gear up.    Might have been able to fly it out otherwise.

I only knew this because I was coming back from the northern part of the state at the time and heard it play out on guard.   I asked him about it later...he's naturally not very happy with the guy.   AFAIK there were no injuries, which is the most important part.   

I would of been angry to if someone ran a perfectly good airplane out of fuel...

[MooneyMitch]

I meant type hypothetical, not hypocritical.   I’ve corrected my post.  I still need to do better at proofreading