Mooney M20F accident near Cottonwood, Arizona, July 2, 2010
On July 2, 2010 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N6802V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cottonwood, Arizona (Cottonwood Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to lower the landing gear prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2010 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Cottonwood, Arizona · Cottonwood Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F NO SERIES · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6802V · registry record · serial 22-0002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during final approach he completed the landing checklist and confirmed that the green down and locked gear light was illuminated. On touchdown the airplane dropped onto its belly and slid about 200 feet before coming to rest on the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the airplane’s belly skin and outer surfaces of the landing gear doors. This damage, in addition to the lack of damage to the landing gear extension and retraction push rods, was indicative of the landing gear being retracted and the doors closed at the time of impact. Additionally, during the examination the landing gear was cycled several times, with no anomalies noted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 164 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 108 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 15, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,438 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 30, 2009; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO 360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHD Chandler AZ at 2:00 pm
- Destination: P52 Cottonwood AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,250 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from FLG, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 23, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Release of Wreckage Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6802V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mooney M-20 6,245 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mooney 5,394 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO 360 8,559 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cottonwood Airport · nearest airport
- Chandler Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,422 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10LA340.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.