19990821013199A

Acft crashed on landing rwy 18 after pilot failed to lower gear. (.19) on August 21, 1999, at 0905 hours pacific daylight time, a Cessna TR182, N4809R, landed gear up at the south Lake Tahoe Airport, Lake Tahoe, California. The airplane, operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot/owner, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight that had departed the cameron park, California, airport about 0800. The flight was scheduled to terminate at the salt lake city international airport, salt lake city, Utah. No flight plan was filed. The pilot stated that after departure from cameron park, he climbed to 17,500 feet above ground level (AGL), to maneuver around cloud build-ups while crossing over the sierra Nevada mountains. He stated that he noted that the oxygen level decreased to 500 pounds and was not sure that he would have enough to complete the trip. The pilot said that he decided to land at the south Lake Tahoe Airport to refill the system. He stated that he was sure he put the gear down, but may have forgotten to extend the gear. The pilot further repo rted that the airplane has a history of problems with gear indication lights and warning horn. (-23) post accident investigation of this gear-up landing incident shows that the landing gear operates normally, but pre-existing fuselage damages indicate that the landing gear could have malfunctioned. The pilot stated that he is unable to recall if he put the landing gear down, but he thinks he did and the gear selector was in the down position. The pilot stated that he was distracted by traffic in his approach path and did not check to see if he had the green gear indicator light or look outside to see if the landing gear was down and he did not do an emergency gear extension. A re-examination of the pilot's flying privileges will be conducted with emphasis on preflight inspections and retractable landing systems. The owner stated that the a/c sustained wind damages on the ground just prior to his recently purchasing it. The pre-existing damage of vertical wrinkles in the sides of the fuselage near the cabin door is being investigated. Apparently the a/c was not properly repaired after the wind damages or was involved in a hard landing. (.4) the pilot believed that he completed the gump check on approach, but he was distracted by traffic while entering the pattern and did not verify that the green gear down light was illuminated or verify visually that the gear was extended. In the landing flare he realized too late that the gear was not extended and landed gear-up. The pilot said that the gear system had a history of problems with the indicator lights and warning horn. The gear and its warning systems were inspected. After selection of either the up or down positions, the gear pump circuit breaker would open prior to completion of the cycle. When the circuit breaker was reset the gear continued to its selected position. The green gear indication light illuminated about 10 seconds after cycle completion; however, the aural warning horn did not sound immediately and was faint when it did engage. There was no damage found to the tire sidewalls, gear struts or wheels, indicating that the landing gear was fully retracted on touchdown. Placement of the gear handle in the down position caused the gear to fall from the stowed position whether the the power was on or off. The fuselage was distorted from a prior ground damage incident where the airplane was blown over in high winds while parked. The incident corresponded to the onset of the gear system discrepancies.