Accident Details
On December 21, 2017, at approximately 1900 eastern standard time, a Mooney M20K, registered as N5254G, was substantially damaged during a landing at Venice Municipal Airport (VNC) in Venice, Florida. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight.
Flight History
The flight originated from Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) in Beckley, West Virginia, with a fuel stop at Darlington County Airport (UDG) in Darlington, South Carolina. The pilot then departed for VNC and was receiving traffic advisory services from air traffic control (ATC). During the approach, he descended from 8,500 ft to 4,000 ft to get under a layer of scattered clouds. The pilot stated that it was his normal procedure to extend the landing gear 10 miles from the destination airport to help slow the airplane, but he could not recall exactly when he moved the gear selector.
He continued the descent and disengaged the autopilot. At about 1,200 ft above ground level, while maneuvering to avoid clouds, he heard another pilot request a “pop-up” instrument flight rules clearance to VNC due to sea fog near the airport. The pilot then descended further to stay below the clouds and fog. ATC advised him to climb immediately to 2,000 ft and follow the other aircraft into VNC. While on approach, he extended the flaps and used speed brakes to reduce speed, and reduced throttle to avoid overtaking the other aircraft. At that point, the landing gear horn activated; he applied a small amount of throttle, and the horn stopped.
Landing and Aftermath
The pilot reported that the landing proceeded normally until just after the flare, when he heard a scraping noise. After the airplane came to a stop on the runway, he shut off the electrical power and exited.
Inspections and Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the aircraft and noted that the airplane had slid along the runway on its belly for about 400 ft before stopping. Substantial damage was observed to the lower fuselage stringers, the propeller, and the nose landing gear door. The landing gear circuit breaker was found open, and the landing gear selector was in the down position. Both main landing gear were extended only about 1 inch from their respective wheel wells. During recovery, the airplane was placed on jacks, and the landing gear was lowered using the emergency gear extension system without incident. Damage to the gear extension system prevented further functional testing.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating and reported 216 hours of total flight experience. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on November 30, 2017.
Weather Conditions
The automated weather observing system at VNC was out of service. Reported conditions from Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), about 21 miles north, included wind from 280° at 4 knots, visibility 9 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 22°C, dew point 22°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.10 inches of mercury.