ATL98LA130

According to the pilot, an unsafe landing gear indication occurred prior to landing at her destination. The pilot then stuck her head out of the airplanes window to visually inspect the landing gear, allowing her eye glasses to be blown off. After she talked with her company, it was decided that she return to Orlando, where there was better maintenance and other facilities to deal with the problem. Compounding the landing gear problem was the fact that the pilot had to make a night landing without her prescribed eyeglasses. Upon landing the main gear collapsed. The airplane skidded and did a 180-degree turn on the runway, coming to rest in a nose high attitude, with the weight of the airplane on the horizontal stabilizer. This resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot was not injured. A post crash inspection of the airplane, by company maintenance personnel, revealed a crack in the right main landing gear actuator and the power pack sequencing valve was operating incorrectly.

On September 25, 1998, about 2156 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210L, N300EW, experienced a landing gear failure while landing at the Orlando Executive airport, Orlando, Florida. The airplane was operated by Flight Express as Flight 106, under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 135, and instrument flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and sole occupant was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from Orlando, Florida, at 1900.

According to the pilot, an un-safe landing gear indication occurred prior to landing at her destination, Saint Augustine, Florida. She diverted to Craig Field in Jacksonville, FL, for a visual inspection by the tower personnel. They were unable to verify that she had a gear problem. The pilot then stuck her head out of the airplanes window to visually inspect the landing gear, allowing her eye glasses to be blown off. After she talked with her Company, it was decided that she return to Orlando, where there was better maintenance and other facilities to deal with the problem. Compounding the landing gear problem was the fact that the pilot had to make a night landing without her prescribed eye glasses. Upon landing the main gear collapsed, and the pilot lost control, the airplane did a 180 degree turn on the runway.

A post accident inspection of the airplane by company mechanics, revealed a 6-8 inch crack on the right main landing gear actuator, with the actuator housing only half full of hydraulic fluid. They also discovered that the power pack sequencing valve, for the landing gear, was locked up and could not be actuated on the ground.

According to a statement by Orlando Executive airport officials, the airplane landed on runway 13 and all three landing gear partially collapsed, the airplane skidded on the rubber tires and came to rest leaning to the right. Airport officials also stated that, Due to the nose high pitch of the airplane, most of the weight of the airplane was supported by the right horizontal stabilizer, resulting in substantial damage to the spar.