What happened
On 8 September 2012, a Mooney M20J, registration N12ZX, departed Oxford (Kidlington) Airport on an IFR flight plan bound for Poland. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot observed that the landing gear had failed to retract fully. While the tower confirmed the wheels were extended, the pilot noted the gear appeared to be at an unusual angle. The electrical cockpit indicator displayed a 'Gear Unsafe' status, and the mechanical indicator was stuck in an intermediate position, suggesting the gear was partially extended but not locked.
To mitigate the risk of the aircraft overturning, the pilot elected to land on the paved runway rather than a grass strip. Upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed as anticipated. The aircraft came to a stop upright on Runway 1ng, and the pilot escaped the aircraft without no injuries.
The investigation
Following the incident, the aircraft was moved to a hangar for inspection. Investigators found damage to the aircraft's belly skin and scrape marks on the nose gear doors, consistent with the gear collapsing during landing. The investigation revealed significant damage to the nose gear's steel lugs, which had sheared from their weld attachments, causing the gear to fold back into the bay.
Further examination of the retraction system identified several issues: the right-hand connecting rod was bowed, the left-hand connecting rod showed signs of erosion, and a pin was missing from the right-hand side. While the damage to the rods likely occurred during the landing, it could not be determined if the missing pin contributed to the initial jamming of the mechanism. The status of the actuator remained unconfirmed at the time of the report.