Simple Gear Collapse Landing Event And
Associated Insurance Claims: 
Our "First Blush" Quick Take Advice:  Don't Necessarily Rush To Commit To Having The Local FBO/Shop To Do Anything Other Than Get Your Mooney Off The Runway.   And make every effort to do the least amount of additional damage as possible! We find that what seems to be the easiest at the time, or what others suggest at the scene isn't the best long-term.  In short, keep your options open and think ahead.

Getting It Off The Runway
The first order of business is getting it off the runway as soon as possible without doing any more damage.  Typically this means raising the aircraft sufficiently so that you can extend the gear so it can be towed to the ramp or hangar.  If you have had a genuine "pilot error" gear-up, then you can simply lower the gear in the normal manner after your Mooney has been raised sufficiently to do so.  However, if you have any reason that the gear was "in transit" or collapsed upon touchdown, then extra precautions must be taken to insure the integrity of the gear isn't compromised.  The gear must me LOCKED DOWN manually via external "C" clamps and extra stiffeners or metal splints on the retract bellcranks so that the gear can't (again) collapse or track-in when the aircraft is being towed.  Additionally, we think it may be wise to hand tow or push the aircraft rather than tow it via a tug so that if a gear leg starts to track in, the progress can be immediately stopped and remedied prior to any more damage being done.  

The Psychological Factor And Your Initial Responses: 
First off, try not to be overly concerned or embarrassed when/if this ever happens to you.    Chances are, outside of a clear "fuel starvation" problem due to you, most "off-airport" events are a result of mechanical failures and no blame will be associated.  Naturally you should attend to the personal injury needs (if any) of all those involved, but try to keep you composure and think clearly.  Stand back mentally and maintain a reasonable attitude while you consider your options.  Call MOA or have them refer you to an expert if necessary.  Talk to your favorite A&P or perhaps an aviation savvy attorney if you have any idea you may need one before "confessing" to any FAA/NTSB personnel either in person, in writing, or via the phone.  Call your insurance agent, but not be overly upset if you can't get them right away especially on weekends.   Your policy and the law says you have a "reasonable" period of time do do so, certainly a few days if not longer....  

More importantly, take time to think things through before you volunteer information to the FAA or local police etc.  As stupid as it may sound, local police have been known to attempt to issue citations for some infraction such as operating an un-licensed vehicle on a public road.... Don't volunteer blame,  take responsibility, or speculate as to the cause of the accident or incident.  It may be a good idea for you to separate yourself from the aircraft and go someplace quiet (with a phone) and think things through.  

Also, it is your duty to protect the aircraft or the "salvage" until it is turned over to the care, custody, and control of either the insurance adjuster or the NTSB etc.  If some authority claims control, try to get them to put it in writing and/or get a receipt.  Take photo's of the situation if possible even if it means buying a still or video camera on site.

Estimating The Extent of Damage On-Site:  Some broad rules of thumb...
Unless you have a relatively new Mooney with higher hull values (say $150K or more), be mentally prepared to have your Mooney eventually "totaled" by the insurance adjuster if there is significant damage visible to primary structure such as 130 tubes, ribs,  wing stringers, and especially wing spars etc.   While you may have some influence, generally if the damage exceeds 60-70% of the hull value, be prepared....good or bad. 

A very rough rule of thumb is that a typical off-airport excursion (where any of the gear collapses), can cost $35-60K+ to repair if there are few (or no) wing structural ribs and (of course) no major spar damage.  This is especially true if the damage is contained to the outboard 1/2 of either wing.  Wing skins are relatively inexpensive to repair but should only be done by a true Mooney sheetmetal man who is very familiar with not only a rivet gun, but a rivet squeezer and shaver.   

It can get expensive to repair 4130 fuselage tubular damage and if there is any, it typically means the subject Mooney will be totaled unless it is insured in excess of $135-170K+.  Look for buckled fuselage skins and floorboards in the cabin areas, no matter how slight.  If found, look deeper and be prepared to by flying another Mooney....  

What makes this good is that the splice isn't really a "field repair splice" per se at all, as the spar and stringers etc, are their natural (OEM) length and when mated with the inboard section make a fully natural OEM wing indistinguishable from one which has had it's wingtip assembly replaced.   In short, you can replace both wing outer halves and end up with an OEM wing which is just as strong and if all OEM fasteners and OEM workmanship used, is nearly indistinguishable (inside and out) from a wing that was assembled at the factory in much the same manner. 

Logs, On-Board Records, And Such:
Some experts don't recommend you fly with your logs but if they are in the aircraft, you may wish to take them with you.  Generally speaking the FAA Regs. require the logs to be one of three places: your home, your aircraft, or a maintenance facility.  If you have any doubts as to the logs not being "up to date" such as not having the latest maintenance entries or maintenance log "stickers" installed (which you were furnished by A&P's etc.),  you may wish to remedy these factors in an expeditious manner. 

In any event, guard the logs, your FAA Registration Certificate, the POH, and any personal affects in the cabin etc. judiciously and don't let them stay with the aircraft unattended if at all possible.   If asked to surrender them, get receipts and prior photocopies if possible.  If you have a still or video camera, use it to record the event while including collateral damage on the ground in the process.  It may even be a good idea to buy a cheap disposable camera from a drug store or ask a witness for the use of  his camera. 

"Gear Collapse" Factoids:
1)    Keep in  mind many times nearly as much damage occurs to the airframe upon retrieval from the landing site than sustained during the actual gear collapse landing itself! 

2)  Remember, even if this was a true mechanical problem, the insurance company may or may not pay for the repair of the underlying mechanical or maintenance problem such as failed actuator "No Back" Spring or failure of the Dukes gear actuator worm drive gears.  But they will pay for the physical damage which occurred afterwards in the crash landing.  Typically however, when your engine is required to have some level of investigation as to the cause of the accident, they will pay for a T&I (tear-down & inspection) which is the bulk of the labor and represents some of the parts necessary for an overhaul etc..   So, obviously if your Mooney isn't "totaled" you may wish to take advantage of this situation to finish a overhaul.  See the unexpected engine problem section.  

3)  Often times wing damage isn't as bad as it looks.  If a skin is only dented (but still has to be replaced), it doesn't cost any more to do so than if it is nearly shredded to bits-as long as the structure inside such as ribs and stringers etc. aren't damaged.    

The "Total Loss" Factor:
Most of the time owners tend to forget how little it takes to "total" a Mooney once it is involved with a true "off airport" landing situation.   Actually, most such repairs cost about the same no matter if they are done on a '64 M20C or a near-new TLS.   So generally the lower your hull value the greater chance of a "total" upon a serious claim.  The key is whether or not the gear was ripped out and/or if many wing skins are damaged or if the 4130 tubular fuselage sustained damage.  Unless it doesn't do major damage to the gear and/or airframe, many of these incidents end up being "totaled" due to the simple fact the salvage has substantial value on the open market and even if your insurance carrier pays your policy limits, he can re-cap 1/3 or so by selling the salvage.  Thus, the rule of thumb is once the repairs exceed 65070% of the hull value insured amount, the adjuster will recommend it be "totaled". 

Be aware of your right to buy the salvage back and/or take a settlement for 70%+/- and then pay the difference to have it repaired etc.  Many times with a Mooney which was under-insured, it makes sense for a owner to bite the bullet and keep his Mooney rather than let it go to salvage whereas the insurance company gets the benefit.

Your  Right To Have Your Mooney Transported To The (Mooney Specific) Shop Of Your Choice:
A little known fact is that most insurance companies will pay a reasonable expense to have your Mooney ferried (via FAA ferry permit etc. with  temporary repairs etc.), OR de-mated and transported overland by truck/trailer to a shop for repairs.  In practice, taking the Mooney apart to fit on a trailer isn't that big of a project and doesn't affect your Mooney adversely if done correctly.  After all, they weren't built in one piece at the factory and they come apart without hurting them long-term at all.  In fact, they can probably be taken apart right behind the cabin area to separate the cabin/wing from the tailcone itself because many Mooney specialty shops prefer to keep in wing/fuselage/cabin intact so they can transport them "sidewise" on a flat-bed trailer.  The engine comes off at the firewall and it all can be done in less than two days by an experienced crew!  It will probably hurt you far more than your pride and joy Mooney if performed by a crew who is  experienced. 

Make no mistake, there are several approved and "natural" ways to transport Mooneys w/out causing any long-term harm to the M20 airframe.  Few adjusters will volunteer this information perhaps because of the fact they tend to loose control and risk spending more of the insurance company's money by doing so.   However, generally speaking you don't have to have the nearest shop or A&P do the work just because the incident/accident happened at their door step.    Perhaps they are qualified, and perhaps they are not.  What owners need to be on the look-out for is the fact most "local" shops rarefy admit they aren't qualified....  Typically accidents are viewed as "bonus" work local shops tend to covet, so it takes a dedicated owner to "buck the trend" to have the initial retrieval local shop finish the work.  In practice, your insurance company will pay the local shop for their part in retrieving and storage, and then pay the shop of your choice to disassemble, transport, and to do the final repairs.  

Only One Mooney Expert's Opinion:   Personally, after seeing so many repair and retrieval jobs "after the fact" which have gone awry or outright bad, and left a permanently scared M20 having to live with marginal or shoddy repairs,   I don't think much of the idea of letting others learn on your Mooney!  If necessary, I think it is good business for the owner to consider kick-in some money for transportation if it means picking a well known Mooney specific shop VS an unknown.   This is especially true if OEM up-dates or mods can be incorporated in the repair process at little or no additional cost.  See the MOA PILOT Magazine, June '01, pg. 14  "Bent Aluminum:  What To Do When It Happens To You." for more specific details. Coy Jacob, Associate Editor Aviation Consumer

While the insurance company may not want pay to have a Georgia based Mooney to be shipped to California (or visa versa), they will generally pay "reasonable" transportation expense.  In fact, the folks at MOA has seen them pay nearly "cost to coast" transportation expenses more than once as after all, transportation expense is generally a small fraction of  most repairs....

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