On May 29, 2004, a Mooney M20R (registration N53WM) operated by Ivan Burns was involved in an aviation accident near Warren, VT. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in this accident was the wind shear as reported by the pilot. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported strong wind shear at 10 feet above the runway causing a hard touchdown, resulting in left main landing gear separation. The pilot aborted landing and performed a gear-up landing at another airport.
Incident Overview
A pilot landing on runway 4, a 2,575-foot-long, 30-foot-wide asphalt runway, reported that the airplane was approximately 10 feet above the runway when it encountered a strong wind shear. The aircraft dropped "fast and hard" onto the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and was informed over the Unicom that the airplane's left main landing gear had separated. The pilot elected to divert to another airport, where he performed a gear-up landing without further incident.
Environmental Conditions
The elevation at the accident site was about 1,470 feet. Winds reported at an airport located about 13 miles northeast of the accident site, at an elevation of 1,165 feet, around the time of the incident were from 310 degrees at 14 knots with 21 knot gusts.