# Incident 20220205001779I: Cessna 210M, Laredo, TX, February 5, 2022 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 5, 2022, 12:51 local time - Place: Laredo, TX - Airport: Laredo International Airport - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 27.5442° N, 99.4616° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at LAREDO INTL (LRD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.5442&lon=-99.4616&mi=10 - Aircraft: N732RT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N732RT) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 210M (registry code 2073450, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210m) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 210M - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot - Pilot flight hours: 355 total - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220205001779I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2022, A CESSNA 210M N732RT, S/N: 21061720, DEPARTED (MFE) MCALLEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 12:05 PM. THE AIRCRAFT HAD 44 GALLONS OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE WEATHER IN MCALLEN, LAREDO AND ON COURSE WAS EXPECTED TO BE VFR WITH CLEAR SKIES AND CALM WINDS. AIRCRAFT CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF AND STARTED ROUTE DIRECT TO (LRD) LAREDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, CLIMBED TO 4,500 FEET AND CONFIGURED THE AIRCRAFT TO CRUISE SETTINGS ALONG WITH THE AUTOPILOT. THE TRIP FROM MFE TO LRD MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 105 NM, AT ABOUT 50 NM FROM LRD THE AUTOPILOT DISENGAGED. PILOT MANUALLY FLEW THE AIRPLANE TO MAINTAIN HEADING AND ALTITUDE AND WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH HOUSTON CENTER ON 128.15. SHORTLY AFTER THE AUTOPILOT DISENGAGED THE GARMIN AVIONICS IN THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO FLICKER, PILOT SHUT OFF ALL THE AIRCRAFT LIGHTING PER THE CHECKLIST ?WHEN AMMETER SHOWS DISCHARGE?. THE G750 STARTED TO RESET ITSELF, ALL GARMIN AVIONICS STARTED FLICKERING OFF AND ON AGAIN, THE G750 RESET ITSELF FIVE OR SIX TIMES BEFORE IT COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. THE TRANSPONDER WENT OUT AND ALL THE GARMIN AVIONICS WERE OUT. THE FUEL GAUGES BECAME UNRELIABLE, THEY STARTED SHOWING A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN FUEL. PILOT BRIEFLY CONSIDERED NEAREST AIRPORT WHICH WAS ZAPATA COUNTY (APY), BUT DECIDED TO CONTINUE TO FINAL DESTINATION OF LRD, BECAUSE APY IS AN UNATTENDED AIRPORT WITHOUT SERVICES AND THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING FINE. COMMUNICATIONS WITH HOUSTON CENTER WERE STILL ACTIVE HOWEVER NOT COMPLETELY CLEAR, THEY CALLED TO ?IDENT?, AND PILOT RESPONDED ?UNABLE AND EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT?. HOUSTON CENTER THEN ASKED PILOT TO CONTACT THEM AT 127.8 FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE, PILOT RESPONDED ?UNABLE TO CHANGE FREQUENCIES WITH ELECTRICAL ISSUES?. THEY STAYED WITH PILOT ON 128.15. APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES FROM LRD, COMMUNICATIONS WERE NOT GOING THROUGH VERY CLEARLY, HOUSTON WAS UNABLE TO HEAR THE PILOT?S CALLS AND THE PILOT COULD NOT MAKE OUT THEIR CALLS. HOUSTON CENTER PICKED THE AIRCRAFT UP AGAIN AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GIVE THE PILOT THE CURRENT WEATHER AT LRD. PILOT DECLARED ?AIRPORT IN SIGHT? AND HOUSTON CONNECTED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE TOWER VIA GUARD FREQUENCY. LAREDO TOWER CLEARED AIRCRAFT TO LAND ON 36L. THE AIRCRAFT WAS A FEW MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AND AT ABOUT 1200 FT., PILOT WENT TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR PER THE CHECKLIST AND IT FAILED. PILOT CHECKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND TRIED THE LANDING GEAR AGAIN, NOTHING. PILOT THEN REFERENCED THE ?LANDING GEAR FAILS TO EXTEND? EMERGENCY CHECKLIST IN THE AIRCRAFT POH. PILOT NOTED THAT THE EMERGENCY HAND PUMP REQUIRED 86 CYCLES TO MANUALLY PUMP THE GEAR DOWN. PILOT STATED THAT ?CONSIDERING THE AIRCRAFT POSITION (APPROACHING FINAL) AND LOW ALTITUDE IN PREPARATION TO LAND, THE PILOT DIDN?T THINK THAT IT WOULD BE PRACTICAL TO COMPLETELY GET THE GEAR DOWN?. PILOT THEN STATED THAT ?WANTED TO AVOID A PARTIAL GEAR LANDING THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE MORE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND PILOT?. PILOT ANNOUNCED TO LAREDO TOWER THAT LANDING GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND THEY CONFIRMED IT BY SIGHT ON FINAL APPROACH. AT THIS POINT AIRCRAFT WAS ON SHORT FINAL AND APPROXIMATELY 600 FT. FROM THE GROUND APPROACHING THE RUNWAY. PILOT PREPARED FOR A GEAR UP LANDING, REFERENCED THE ?GEAR UP LANDING? CHECKLIST IN THE POH, CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE IN, ADJUSTED AIRSPEED TO 75 KIAS, TURNED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE ?OFF? POSITION, ETC. AND GLIDED THE AIRPLANE DOWN THE RUNWAY IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND CAME TO A STOP. NO RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE DAMAGED AND THE WINGS OF THE AIRCRAFT NEVER TOUCHED THE GROUND. TOWER GAVE PERMISSION TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT, PILOT COMPLETED THE SHUTDOWN CHECKLIST AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. ## Other reports on N732RT (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19790819032009I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790819032009I), Aug 19, 1979: Cessna 210M (N732RT), Goldsboro, NC, Minor damage. Engine quit with gauge reading 1/4 tank fuel. Found sensor #C668003-0102 out of calibration. 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.