- Date
- March 14, 1989, 12:38 local (17:38 UTC)
- Place
- Savannah, GA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N52800Cessna 177RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890314061049I
- Case key
- 7929
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fatigue-induced fracture of the main landing gear actuator rod end.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane landed gear-up after the plt was unable to lower the gear using the normal or emergency gear extension systems. Examination of the airplane after the mishap revealed that the MLG actuator rod end had fractured. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surface revealed progressive fatigue cracking through the threaded shank. In 1979, Cessna had issued a service letter recommending the replacement of this p/n rod end with a new, high-strength rod end. Compliance with the service letter was not mandatory. Examination of sdr's from 1983 to 1989 revealed no history of similar failures involving the old p/n rod end.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52800
- Reported as
- Cessna 177RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 177RG1273
- Airframe hours
- 2,470
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gertner, Robert
- Registered owner
- Ghs Aviation, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 5, 1988 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Ft Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SAV · Savannah Int'L, runway 5, 3,000 × ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,650 total · 120 in this make and model · 6,300 as pilot in command · 92 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.