On January 14, 1995, a Mooney M20F (registration N4024N) was involved in an aviation accident near Miami, OK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate control of the aircraft during landing due to a distraction caused by a passenger seatbelt buckle obstructing the gear lever, resulting in a collision with terrain. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A newly purchased aircraft collided with terrain after the pilot's attention was diverted to a passenger seatbelt buckle blocking the gear lever during landing.
What happened
The accident occurred while the pilot was attempting to lower the landing gear. The pilot's attention was diverted by an issue with raising the gear lever, which prevented the mechanism from functioning correctly. It was discovered that the passenger side seatbelt buckle was physically blocking the gear lever, thereby preventing the gear from locking into place.
While the pilot was occupied with trying to move the seatbelt buckle to clear the obstruction, the airplane collided with the terrain. The pilot had recently purchased the aircraft and reported having only one hour of experience in this specific make and model at the time of the incident.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate control of the aircraft during landing due to a distraction caused by a passenger seatbelt buckle obstructing the gear lever, resulting in a collision with terrain.