Occurrence
On the afternoon of 13 November 2020, the pilot of a Mooney M20J, registered as HB-DBU, conducted a round trip flight of approximately one hour with a passenger. During landing on runway 12 at Speck-Fehraltorf airfield (LSZK), the landing gear collapsed shortly after touchdown. The aircraft slid on the runway and came to a stop about 400 metres past the runway threshold. Both occupants remained uninjured, while the aircraft sustained severe damage.
Findings
The pilot reported that he had extended the landing gear during the base leg for runway 12 and observed the corresponding cockpit indications. The passenger confirmed that the landing gear was extended. However, a witness with a view similar to that shown in Figure 1 of the report stated that they saw the aircraft on short final approach without the landing gear extended.
Examination of the aircraft revealed no evidence of pre-existing technical defects. The damage pattern indicated that the landing gear was not in a fully extended and locked position at the moment of touchdown. The exact position of the landing gear upon touchdown could not be determined.
Analysis
The collapse of the landing gear could be attributed either to a late extension of the gear or to a technical defect that could not be identified after the accident. Since further investigation was not expected to contribute to accident prevention, the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) closed the investigation with this summary report.