# Incident 19970921040469I: Cessna 172RG, Dayton, OH, September 21, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 21, 1997, 18:20 local time
- Place: Dayton, OH
- Airport: Dayton General Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.7589° N, 84.1916° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Dayton, OH, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7589&lon=-84.1916&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9873B, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9873B) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172RG (registry code 2072438, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172rg) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 SER A&C (registry code 41511, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-ser-a-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172RG
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total, 400 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970921040469I

## Narrative

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

LOST ELECTRIC POWER UNOTICED BY PILOT. HAD TO PUMP GEAR DOWN. NO NOSE LOCK LIGHT. NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED LANDING. (-23) THE AIRCRAFT HAD A POWER FAILURE, THE ALTERNATOR FAILED TO CHARGE THE BATTERY AT START UP OR DURING THE FLIGHT.  THIS POWER FAILURE WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THAT THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM IS POWERED BY AN ELECTRICAL MOTOR.  THE GEAR POSITION IS INDICATED VIA ELECTRIC LIGHTS WHICH COMPOUNDED THE PROBLEM.  THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES IN THE AIRCRAFT OPERATING MANUAL DO NOT ADDRESS A GEAR SITUATION WITH NO POWER FOR GEAR POSITION INDICATIONS. THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES IN THE AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS MANUAL STATE TO PUMP UNTIL RESISTANCE BECOMES HEAVY;--ABOUT 35 CYCLES.  LOOK FOR GEAR DOWN LIGHT.  THIS SITUATION LEAVES MUCH TO INTERPRETATION.  THE PILOT AND HIS SON PUMPED UNTIL THEY FELT THE RESISTANCE AND ASSUMED THE GEARS WERE ALL DOWN AND LOCKED. I FEEL THE PILOT DID EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO PROCEDURES IN THE MANUAL. THE PROBLEM IS, THE MANUAL DOES NOT ADDRESS A POWER FAILURE SITUATION AND NO GEAR WARNING LIGHTS.  THE BATTERY WAS DEAD.  IT WAS CHARGED AFTER THE INCIDENT BY AVIATION SALES MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT.  THEY SAID IT CHARGED UP NORM                                       AL AND NO PROBLEMS WERE NOTED WITH THE BATTERY OR THE CAPACITY. TEST RESULTS OF THE ALTERNATOR INDICATE THE ALTERNATOR WAS OPERATIONAL.  NOW WITH THE BATTERY DEAD THERE WAS NO VOLTAGE TO ACTIVATE THE FIELD PORTION OF THE ALTERNATOR, THUS IT WOULD NOT CHARGE WHEN THE PILOT RESET THE ALTERNATOR SWITCH DURING THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES.

## Other reports on N9873B (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20130907016029I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130907016029I), Sep 7, 2013: Cessna 172RG (N9873B), Miamisburg, OH, Minor damage. Pilot was practicing a power off 180 accuracy landing. He did not put the landing gear down on the downwind per his normal landing procedure. He neglected to…

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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