# Accident 20130703013289A: Cessna T210K, Mesa, AZ, July 3, 2013 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 3, 2013, 20:30 local time - Place: Mesa, AZ - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.3019° N, 111.6553° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3019&lon=-111.6553&mi=10 - Aircraft: N272EF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N272EF-2018-03-21) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna T210K (registry code 2073447, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t210k) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA T210K - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 766 total, 62 in this make and model, 38 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR13LA319](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13LA319) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130703013289A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. PILOT WAS FLYING AIRCRAFT FROM KFFZ TO KCHD. UPON LANDING INTO CHANDLER IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LEFT GEAR WOULD NOT TRANSITION TO DOWN AND LOCK. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE GEAR T DOWN-AND-LOCK GREEN, INCLUDING MANUAL OVERRIDE, AIR TRAFFIC ADVISED HIM TO DIVERT TO PHOENIX-WILLIAMS GATEWAY WHERE THERE WAS A LONGER RUNWAY AND ARFF TO ASSIST, IF NEEDED. A LANDING WAS MADE WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND NO INJURIES. MET THE PILOT AND CO-OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE AIRPORT. THE LEFT LEADING AND TRAILING EDGE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HAD EXCESSIVE BUCKLING DAMAGE IN SEVERAL AREAS, IN EXCESS OF TWO AND THREE INCHES IN THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL PLANE. UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION IT COULD CLEARLY BE SEEN THAT THE DAMAGE HAD TRAVELED THROUGH TO BOTH THE LEADING AND TRAILING EDGE SPARS. MAJOR REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT WOULD BE NECESSARY. TOOK ADDITIONAL PICTURES OF THE DAMAGES TO THE STAB SPAR AND CONFERRED WITH THE NTSB. IT WAS AGREED THAT IT WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THUSLY CONSIDERED AN ?ACCIDENT? BY DEFINITION. NTSB UPGRADED THE INCIDENT TO AN ACCIDENT BASED ON THE DAMAGE. FURTHER INFORMATION ON WHICH REPAIR FACILITY, LOCATION AND TIME, PENDING A DECISION BY THE OWNER. THE PILOT AND AIRCRAFT RECORDS WERE REVIEWED, NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED. MOORE AVIATION SERVICES WILL DISASSEMBLE THE GEAR TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, ON AUG 17 AT FALCON FIELD. AN FAA REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE PRESENT FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF THE GEAR LOOKING FOR ANY OBVIOUS CAUSE OF THE FAILURE FOR THE GEAR COLLAPSE. THE GEAR ITSELF IS DESIGNED TO ?FAIL-SAFE?, IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION, WHICH DID NOT HAPPEN. IT FAILED IN FLIGHT AND WOULD NOT LOCK, CAUSING THE PILOT TO DIVERT AND DECLARE THE EMERGENCY. COORDINATION OF THE ON-SIGHT VISIT FOR THE TEARDOWN OF THE GEAR IS PENDING. UPDATE: THIS OFFICE OBSERVED THE TEAR DOWN OF THE LEFT HAND LANDING GEAR AND ACTUATOR ON 8/22/13, PERFORMED BY MIKE MOORE AT MOORE AVIATION SERVICES. A BROKEN PIECE OF THE GEAR TOOTH WAS FOUND IN THE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY BOOT. NO SIGN OF BINDING WAS FOUND THAT WOULD LIMIT THE GEAR TRAVEL, HOWEVER THIS PIECE IS ON THE END OF THE PISTON ASSEMBLY AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FINAL "DOWN LOCK" OF THE MAIN GEAR. IN THE CESSNA T210K PARTS MANUAL ARE TWO ILLUSTRATIONS SHOWING THE FAILED ACTUATOR PART AND ITS LOCATION. THE PART THAT FAILED IS ITEM NUMBER 18 ON THE PARTS SHEET P/N 1281011-1 (PISTON ASSEMBLY). ITEM NUMBER 24 (BOOT) IS REMOVABLE AND THE BROKEN TOOTH, OF THE PISTON ASSEMBLY, WAS FOUND LYING IN THE END OF THE ACTUATOR BOOT. THE PILOT VERIFIED THAT THE GEAR WOULD RETRACT IN THE ?UP AND LOCKED? POSITION ON EVERY CYCLE WHILE HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO GET THE GEAR DOWN. THIS BROKEN PIECE EXPLAINS WHY THE GEAR WAS UNABLE TO GO INTO THE ?DOWN AND LOCKED? POSITION. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB WPR13LA319](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13LA319), Jul 4, 2013: Cessna T210K (N272EF), Phoenix, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The collapse of the left main landing gear due to a broken gear tooth in the landing gear actuator. ## Other reports on N272EF (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20170102000209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170102000209A), Jan 2, 2017: Cessna T210K (N272EF), Payson, AZ, Destroyed, 4 fatal. On January 2, 2017, a Cessna T210K, N272EF, impacted mountainous terrain north of Payson, AZ, at an elevation of 6,601 feet. The mountains are part of a tall… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.