N7127V

On October 12, 2003, about 1640 mountain standard time, a Mooney 20F, N7127V, veered off of the runway during the landing roll at the Scottsdale Airport (SDL), Scottsdale, Arizona, and collided with an airport sign. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed the Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF), Santa Fe, New Mexico, about 1500 central standard time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the pilot was landing on runway 21, and the airplane veered to the left. As the pilot added power, the airplane became airborne. It then landed on a taxiway and collided with an airport sign. The main spar was damaged in the accident sequence. A mechanic examined the airplane and did not find any mechanical malfunction that would have resulted in the airplane veering to the left.

The pilot reported that the airplane touched down on the main landing gear. After about 6 seconds, the nose gear touched down and the airplane veered to the left. The pilot applied the throttle and the airplane lifted off of the ground approximately 3 feet. He applied right rudder and landed on the taxiway. During the accident sequence, the airplane collided with a runway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing.

In a telephone conversation, the pilot reported that the right, front seat passenger was also a pilot. The passenger did not interfere with the controls during landing. The pilot felt that debris may have entered the nose wheel area, resulting in the veer to the left. No debris was recovered from the accident area.

The airplane was ferried from Scottsdale to Greeley, Colorado, for repairs. The flight to Greeley landed uneventfully. The examination of the airplane did not reveal any control anomalies with the landing gear system.