Mooney Gear Up Video

[201er]

Not sure if this has been discussed but it just made the Aviation 3 minutes of fame:

 

 

[Echo]

Not sure he/she could of hauled that down.  Burned a LOT of runway in float.  Yikes.  Then a go-around with a bent prop and potentially compromised engine.  Damn.

[hubcap]

That was painful to watch.

[kortopates]

I hope all the growing notoriety for the E pilot gets noticed by his FSDO so he can get the needed counseling and remedial training. It just might save his life. Many good pilots would/will do this on their own but you can’t be sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Marc_B]

I guess the song is right...maybe you can always go around...even after a gear up!

 

[Schllc]

Aerostar lands gear up, then takes off and flys home. 
 

https://www.military.com/video/aircraft/civilian-aircraft/plane-lands-gear-up-then-keeps-flying/4189092003001

[skykrawler]

And then the gear come out on the climb out.

 

[A64Pilot]

On 5/11/2025 at 8:28 AM, skykrawler said:

And then the gear come out on the climb out.

 

Yeah I’m sure he was overly stressed and not at the top of his game after prop striking the airplane.

[goodyFAB]

amazing. you would think you might notice that if your "proficient".

[1980Mooney]

On 5/14/2025 at 9:15 AM, A64Pilot said:

Yeah I’m sure he was overly stressed and not at the top of his game after prop striking the airplane.

 

On 5/14/2025 at 9:08 PM, goodyFAB said:

amazing. you would think you might notice that if your "proficient".

Well even "proficient" pilots can be distracted at the wrong time.  But this apparently is an unfortunate case a new pilot in a newly purchased plane.

Gear-up landing Incident Mooney M20E Super 21 N1230X, Thursday 27 March 2025

https://indyairsales.com/__resources/webdata/files/specsheets/1716_N1230X Info Spec Sheet Rev 2.pdf

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N1230X

This is a 1964 M20E Super 21 with a J-Bar manual landing gear.  The owner registered N1230X on November 12, 2024. ADSB-Exchange history shows that the plane showed up at the owner's home drome on October 30, 2024.

It appears that the owner is a newly minted pilot, age 47 per the internet : 

Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT  
Date of Issue: 10/20/2024

His photo on LinkedIn shows him standing in front a C-172 holding his certificate.

The owner came to MooneySpace once.  On October 31, 2024 he posted a topic looking for a "Complex Mooney Instructor".  He said "Recently bought a Mooney M20E, and need to find a CFI to complete my complex rating." and  "My insurance requires that I have 10 hours dual time with an instructor and 10 takeoffs at landings. I've completed 4 hours and 4 takeoff and landings this past week with an instructor who helped me fly the plane home."  He got some recommendations for the remaining 6 hours dual and 6 take-offs/landings and never came back to MS.

His speed and glide slope/rate of descent don't look terrible.  I can't find the METAR for KGAI that day but winds at Dulles were variable and not more than 5 mph.  However, his Base to Final was sloppy.  He busted the Final and he blew past the centerline before turning back approx. 110 degrees to Final. 

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a06145&lat=39.168&lon=-77.145&zoom=14.3&showTrace=2025-03-27&trackLabels&timestamp=1743106682

• Perhaps he got flustered with the mistake. (or worrying about not banking too much in the correction)
• Perhaps he was debating balking the landing and going around resulting in a loss of focus on the landing configuration and getting "behind the plane".
• Perhaps that is why he didn't have the gear down in time well before the flare but put the gear down after "kissing the tarmac" and climbing out.
• Perhaps his J-Bar is out of rig or bent, like some comment here, and requires tremendous force or binds which hinders his smooth operation (But you would think if that was the problem, his instructor or ferry pilot would have highlighted it as a squawk that needed immediate repair)

 

Edited yesterday at 02:44 AM by 1980Mooney

[goodyFAB]

12 hours ago, 1980Mooney said:

 

Well even "proficient" pilots can be distracted at the wrong time.  But this apparently is an unfortunate case a new pilot in a newly purchased plane.

Gear-up landing Incident Mooney M20E Super 21 N1230X, Thursday 27 March 2025

https://indyairsales.com/__resources/webdata/files/specsheets/1716_N1230X Info Spec Sheet Rev 2.pdf

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N1230X

This is a 1964 M20E Super 21 with a J-Bar manual landing gear.  The owner registered N1230X on November 12, 2024. ADSB-Exchange history shows that the plane showed up at the owner's home drome on October 30, 2024.

It appears that the owner is a newly minted pilot, age 47 per the internet : 

Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT  
Date of Issue: 10/20/2024

His photo on LinkedIn shows him standing in front a C-172 holding his certificate.

The owner came to MooneySpace once.  On October 31, 2024 he posted a topic looking for a "Complex Mooney Instructor".  He said "Recently bought a Mooney M20E, and need to find a CFI to complete my complex rating." and  "My insurance requires that I have 10 hours dual time with an instructor and 10 takeoffs at landings. I've completed 4 hours and 4 takeoff and landings this past week with an instructor who helped me fly the plane home."  He got some recommendations for the remaining 6 hours dual and 6 take-offs/landings and never came back to MS.

His speed and glide slope/rate of descent don't look terrible.  I can't find the METAR for KGAI that day but winds at Dulles were variable and not more than 5 mph.  However, his Base to Final was sloppy.  He busted the Final and he blew past the centerline before turning back approx. 110 degrees to Final. 

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a06145&lat=39.168&lon=-77.145&zoom=14.3&showTrace=2025-03-27&trackLabels&timestamp=1743106682

• Perhaps he got flustered with the mistake. (or worrying about not banking too much in the correction)
• Perhaps he was debating balking the landing and going around resulting in a loss of focus on the landing configuration and getting "behind the plane".
• Perhaps that is why he didn't have the gear down in time well before the flare but put the gear down after "kissing the tarmac" and climbing out.
• Perhaps his J-Bar is out of rig or bent, like some comment here, and requires tremendous force or binds which hinders his smooth operation (But you would think if that was the problem, his instructor or ferry pilot would have highlighted it as a squawk that needed immediate repair)

 

ahhhh thats too bad. I wonder how bad the damage is. either way insurance will prob scrap it if that prop hit which I imagine it would.

since I joined this website I have been so diligent about gear down I must check it at least 3x it starts and ends my landing checklist and then I check again for good measure. 

[A64Pilot]

4 minutes ago, goodyFAB said:

ahhhh thats too bad. I wonder how bad the damage is. either way insurance will prob scrap it if that prop hit which I imagine it would.

since I joined this website I have been so diligent about gear down I must check it at least 3x it starts and ends my landing checklist and then I check again for good measure. 

They might depends entirely on insured hull value, but if they do I’d love to have it, it would be a cheap and easy fix to resell.

[Hank]

39 minutes ago, goodyFAB said:

ahhhh thats too bad. I wonder how bad the damage is. either way insurance will prob scrap it if that prop hit which I imagine it would.

since I joined this website I have been so diligent about gear down I must check it at least 3x it starts and ends my landing checklist and then I check again for good measure. 

You can see dust fly from the prop hitting the runway. 

I always check gear down three times:

1. Move the lever, check the green light
2. Turn base, check the green light
3. Turn final, verify altitude, slope and speed, check the floor indicator

The last is the most important; since it is painted on a rod of the gear mechanism, it cannot be wrong.

[IvanP]

1 hour ago, A64Pilot said:

They might depends entirely on insured hull value, but if they do I’d love to have it, it would be a cheap and easy fix to resell.

If it gets scrapped by the insurance, you may have the opportunity to bid on it at auction. 

[cliffy]

My last check list item before touch down?

As I cross the fence I check for green lights

It works for Boeings to Mooneys

"Crossing the fence check for green"

Works every time

[1980Mooney]

Also notice that although his track appeared to be aligned with the runway, his heading did not appear to be aligned with the centerline.  Notice that he appears to be crabbing left and that when he struck the dust trail was about 30+ degrees off his fuselage.  ( in the last 2 frames his rudder is actually to the right of his prop )

Perhaps he was struggling with the J-Bar or had a brain freeze - either way he was not controlling his rudder at that moment - either relaxed foot or jammed foot on one of the pedals.  Also he was not flaring much if at all - he was pretty flat.  He looked to be flat at the height above the runway where the wheels would have touched.  It lookes like he only flared as he sunk into the pavement.   If the gear had been down it would not have been pretty.

Edited 13 hours ago by 1980Mooney

[hubcap]

22 hours ago, 1980Mooney said:

 

Well even "proficient" pilots can be distracted at the wrong time.  But this apparently is an unfortunate case a new pilot in a newly purchased plane.

Gear-up landing Incident Mooney M20E Super 21 N1230X, Thursday 27 March 2025

https://indyairsales.com/__resources/webdata/files/specsheets/1716_N1230X Info Spec Sheet Rev 2.pdf

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N1230X

This is a 1964 M20E Super 21 with a J-Bar manual landing gear.  The owner registered N1230X on November 12, 2024. ADSB-Exchange history shows that the plane showed up at the owner's home drome on October 30, 2024.

It appears that the owner is a newly minted pilot, age 47 per the internet : 

Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT  
Date of Issue: 10/20/2024

His photo on LinkedIn shows him standing in front a C-172 holding his certificate.

The owner came to MooneySpace once.  On October 31, 2024 he posted a topic looking for a "Complex Mooney Instructor".  He said "Recently bought a Mooney M20E, and need to find a CFI to complete my complex rating." and  "My insurance requires that I have 10 hours dual time with an instructor and 10 takeoffs at landings. I've completed 4 hours and 4 takeoff and landings this past week with an instructor who helped me fly the plane home."  He got some recommendations for the remaining 6 hours dual and 6 take-offs/landings and never came back to MS.

His speed and glide slope/rate of descent don't look terrible.  I can't find the METAR for KGAI that day but winds at Dulles were variable and not more than 5 mph.  However, his Base to Final was sloppy.  He busted the Final and he blew past the centerline before turning back approx. 110 degrees to Final. 

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a06145&lat=39.168&lon=-77.145&zoom=14.3&showTrace=2025-03-27&trackLabels&timestamp=1743106682

• Perhaps he got flustered with the mistake. (or worrying about not banking too much in the correction)
• Perhaps he was debating balking the landing and going around resulting in a loss of focus on the landing configuration and getting "behind the plane".
• Perhaps that is why he didn't have the gear down in time well before the flare but put the gear down after "kissing the tarmac" and climbing out.
• Perhaps his J-Bar is out of rig or bent, like some comment here, and requires tremendous force or binds which hinders his smooth operation (But you would think if that was the problem, his instructor or ferry pilot would have highlighted it as a squawk that needed immediate repair)

 

This is exactly why I don’t recommend a Mooney to a low time pilot.