What happened
On 27 August 2008, a Mooney M20E, registration N7423V, was performing a private flight when it experienced a landing gear failure at Old Sarum Airfield. The aircraft, carrying two occupants, was approaching Runway 24 with a full-flap configuration. At the time of the incident, the wind was reported at 220° at 8 knots, representing the lowest headwind the pilot had experienced during previous landings at this location.
During the approach, the pilot noted that the aircraft was significantly heavier than usual due to nearly full fuel tanks and a combined occupant weight of approximately 455lb. Although the pilot observed that all three landing gear indicators were green and the initial touchdown appeared normal, the aircraft landed well short of the intended aiming point. During the subsequent landing roll on the grass runway, the nose gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to slide to a halt with its nose on the ground. The impact resulted in damage to the nose gear, nose gear doors, propeller, and the lower engine cowl, and caused the engine to be shock loaded.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance history and the circumstances of the landing. The investigation confirmed that there was no evidence of any pre-existing mechanical defect in the nose landing gear that would have caused it to fail during the landing sequence.