# Incident 19960122002869I: Cessna 550, Greensboro, NC, January 22, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 22, 1996, 06:55 local time
- Place: Greensboro, NC
- Airport: Piedmont Triad International Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.1013° N, 79.9411° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PIEDMONT TRIAD INTL (GSO), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1013&lon=-79.9411&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7798D (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 550
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,500 total, 450 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960122002869I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON JANUARY 22, 1996, AT APPROXIMATELY 0655 EDT A CESSNA 550, N7798D, REGISTERED TO SIMPSON TE, EXPERIENCED A NO GEAR EXTENSION INDICATION DURING FINAL APPROACH AT CHARLOTTE AIRPORT. HE THEN FLEW BY THE CONTROL TOWER IN CHARLOTTE. THE CONTROL TOWER THEN GAVE THEM A NOTIFICATION THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE PILOT THEN ELECTED TO RETURN BACK TO WINSTON-SALEM, NC BUT INSTEAD HE DECIDED TO LAND AT PIEDMONT TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NORTH CAROLINA. DURING THIS TIME THE CREW TRIED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEARS THROUGH THE BACK UP SYSTEM, BUT TO NO AVAIL EXCEPT FOR THE NOSE GEAR. HE THEN FLEW BY THE CONTROL TOWER IN GREENSBORO. THE CONTROL TOWER THEN GAVE THEM A NOTIFICATION THAT THE MAIN GEARS WERE UP EXCEPT FOR THE NOSE GEAR. HE THEN FLEW BY THE CONTROL TOWER IN GREENSBORO. THE CONTROL TOWER THEN GAVE THEM A NOTIFICATION THAT THE MAIN GEARS WERE UP EXCEPT FOR THE NOSE GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT ITS MAIN GEAR, CAME TO REST ON RUNWAY 23. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTH FLAPS AND FUSELAGE. FURTHER INTO THE INVESTIGATION AT THE CESSNA CITATION SERVICE CENTER, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE HYDRAULIC VALVE-OPEN CENTER BYPASS CANNON PLUG WAS LOOSE FROM THE UNIT CAUSING IT TO BE INOPERATIVE. ALSO, DURING NUMEROUS GEAR RETRACT TESTS IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE EMERGENCY GEAR RELEASE SYSTEM RIGGING COULD HAVE BEEN OFF BY 0.25 INCH FROM TEE HANDLE TRAVEL, THUS PREVENTING THE UPLOCK HOOKS TO RELEASE THE MAIN GEARS.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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