20140717013919A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna R182 · El Monte, CA · July 17, 2014

Date
July 17, 2014 · 17:39 local
Place
El Monte, CA
Airport
El Monte
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N7571T
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR14CA295
Reported as
Cessna R182
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot along with his student departed on an instructional flight at approximately 1755 PDT from El Monte Airport (EMT) to perform instrument approaches. After executing a missed approach about a mile away from the riverside airport (ral) runway, the pilot and his student noticed the gear up light did not illuminate. After the student put down the gear at the chino airport (cno) faf (final approach fixed), they noticed the gear light down was not illuminated. They both visually checked the gear and the pilot noticed that the right main was not visible from his window as it normally would have been. The pilot could see the nose gear was fully extended in the mirror on the wing and the student could see the left gear was fully extended. They contacted chino airport (cno) tower to visually inspect the gear, the tower confirmed that the mains were different and that the left gear was ahead of the right. The pilot then contacted socal TRACON and informed them that they would be heading to santa fe practice area to deal with the gear problem. The pilot attempted to cycle the gear and pump down the gear using the emergency gear handle during the flight to the practice area with no success. At this time the pilot contacted the owner via text message and agreed to communicate on 123.3. They then circled the owner's office in monrovia. The pilot cycled the gear while the owner observed them with binoculars, and at no time could he see the gear out his window. They contacted El Monte Airport (EMT) and asked to do a low pass over El Monte Airport (EMT). After the low pass, they circled El Monte Airport (EMT)discussing options with the owner and they also told tower that they would be holding for some time to which tower replied to give them a 5 minute warning. During this time the owner informed the pilot that the hydraulic fluid may be leaking and that further cycling of the gear might deplete the remaining fluid, the pilot elected to leave the gear down. The pilot opened his door slightly and saw his right gear flapping in the wind. The pilot briefed the student what to expect on landing, instructing him to keep the doors open and to turn off master switch prior to touchdown. The pilot contacted tower to tell them they were ready to land on runway 19. The tower suggested another low pass, but the pilot decided there was nothing to gain by that and elected to land on the first pass. The pilot flew the approach while the student was calling out airspeeds. The pilot made the approach at about 65 knots with full flaps touching down at the numbers. The pilot attempted to keep the right wing up as long as possible. During this time, the aircraft turned to the left and the right horizontal stabilizer impacted the ground, causing the aircraft to yaw to the right. The left wheel was off the ground. The pilot had the nose wheel full left at this time in an attempt to keep the plane going straight. The aircraft departed the runway to the right, as it slowed, the right horizontal stabilizer dug into the ground and turned the aircraft sharply right. The plane came to rest to the right of the runway edge. After landing, they pulled out the keys and the student exited the left door. The master had been turned off on final. The pilot could not open the right door so he exited out the left hand door. The pilot then returned to the aircraft after a minute to make sure it was safe to put the fuel selector to the off position.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT ALONG WITH HIS STUDENT DEPARTED ON AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 1755 PDT FROM EL MONTE AIRPORT (EMT) TO PERFORM INSTRUMENT APPROACHES. AFTER EXECUTING A MISSED APPROACH ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE RIVERSIDE AIRPORT (RAL) RUNWAY, THE PILOT AND HIS STUDENT NOTICED THE GEAR UP LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. AFTER THE STUDENT PUT DOWN THE GEAR AT THE CHINO AIRPORT (CNO) FAF (FINAL APPROACH FIXED), THEY NOTICED THE GEAR LIGHT DOWN WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. THEY BOTH VISUALLY CHECKED THE GEAR AND THE PILOT NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM HIS WINDOW AS IT NORMALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN. THE PILOT COULD SEE THE NOSE GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED IN THE MIRROR ON THE WING AND THE STUDENT COULD SEE THE LEFT GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED. THEY CONTACTED CHINO AIRPORT (CNO) TOWER TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE GEAR, THE TOWER CONFIRMED THAT THE MAINS WERE DIFFERENT AND THAT THE LEFT GEAR WAS AHEAD OF THE RIGHT. THE PILOT THEN CONTACTED SOCAL TRACON AND INFORMED THEM THAT THEY WOULD BE HEADING TO SANTA FE PRACTICE AREA TO DEAL WITH THE GEAR PROBLEM. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CYCLE THE GEAR AND PUMP DOWN THE GEAR USING THE EMERGENCY GEAR HANDLE DURING THE FLIGHT TO THE PRACTICE AREA WITH NO SUCCESS. AT THIS TIME THE PILOT CONTACTED THE OWNER VIA TEXT MESSAGE AND AGREED TO COMMUNICATE ON 123.3. THEY THEN CIRCLED THE OWNER'S OFFICE IN MONROVIA. THE PILOT CYCLED THE GEAR WHILE THE OWNER OBSERVED THEM WITH BINOCULARS, AND AT NO TIME COULD HE SEE THE GEAR OUT HIS WINDOW. THEY CONTACTED EL MONTE AIRPORT (EMT) AND ASKED TO DO A LOW PASS OVER EL MONTE AIRPORT (EMT). AFTER THE LOW PASS, THEY CIRCLED EL MONTE AIRPORT (EMT)DISCUSSING OPTIONS WITH THE OWNER AND THEY ALSO TOLD TOWER THAT THEY WOULD BE HOLDING FOR SOME TIME TO WHICH TOWER REPLIED TO GIVE THEM A 5 MINUTE WARNING. DURING THIS TIME THE OWNER INFORMED THE PILOT THAT THE HYDRAULIC FLUID MAY BE LEAKING AND THAT FURTHER CYCLING OF THE GEAR MIGHT DEPLETE THE REMAINING FLUID, THE PILOT ELECTED TO LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN. THE PILOT OPENED HIS DOOR SLIGHTLY AND SAW HIS RIGHT GEAR FLAPPING IN THE WIND. THE PILOT BRIEFED THE STUDENT WHAT TO EXPECT ON LANDING, INSTRUCTING HIM TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN AND TO TURN OFF MASTER SWITCH PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. THE PILOT CONTACTED TOWER TO TELL THEM THEY WERE READY TO LAND ON RUNWAY 19. THE TOWER SUGGESTED ANOTHER LOW PASS, BUT THE PILOT DECIDED THERE WAS NOTHING TO GAIN BY THAT AND ELECTED TO LAND ON THE FIRST PASS. THE PILOT FLEW THE APPROACH WHILE THE STUDENT WAS CALLING OUT AIRSPEEDS. THE PILOT MADE THE APPROACH AT ABOUT 65 KNOTS WITH FULL FLAPS TOUCHING DOWN AT THE NUMBERS. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE RIGHT WING UP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. DURING THIS TIME, THE AIRCRAFT TURNED TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER IMPACTED THE GROUND, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO YAW TO THE RIGHT. THE LEFT WHEEL WAS OFF THE GROUND. THE PILOT HAD THE NOSE WHEEL FULL LEFT AT THIS TIME IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE PLANE GOING STRAIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT, AS IT SLOWED, THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER DUG INTO THE GROUND AND TURNED THE AIRCRAFT SHARPLY RIGHT. THE PLANE CAME TO REST TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY EDGE. AFTER LANDING, THEY PULLED OUT THE KEYS AND THE STUDENT EXITED THE LEFT DOOR. THE MASTER HAD BEEN TURNED OFF ON FINAL. THE PILOT COULD NOT OPEN THE RIGHT DOOR SO HE EXITED OUT THE LEFT HAND DOOR. THE PILOT THEN RETURNED TO THE AIRCRAFT AFTER A MINUTE TO MAKE SURE IT WAS SAFE TO PUT THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE OFF POSITION.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.