On October 7, 1990, a Mooney M20E (registration N9315V) was involved in an aviation accident near Greensboro, NC. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of a rubber/metal coupling in the landing gear actuator assembly, which disabled normal and alternate gear extension capability. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Aircraft landed with collapsed landing gear after the pilot could not verify gear lock. Investigation found a failed rubber/metal coupling in the actuator assembly.
What happened
The pilot was preparing for landing when he noticed an inability to confirm that the landing gear had fully extended and locked into place. After maneuvering the aircraft, the gear appeared to be visually down, but no down and locked indication was shown in the cockpit. Upon touchdown, all three gear collapsed.
The investigation
The investigation revealed that a rubber/metal coupling in the landing gear actuator assembly had failed, disabling normal and alternate gear extension capability.
Findings
Landing gear collapse occurred because the pilot could not verify gear lock. Rubber/metal coupling failure disabled gear extension.
Probable cause
Failure of a rubber/metal coupling in the landing gear actuator assembly, which disabled normal and alternate gear extension capability.