CEN23LA124

The pilot reported that after takeoff she had to recycle the landing gear because the nose gear would not retract when she retracted the landing gear. The airplane owner, who was seated in the rear seat, reported that the landing gear was functioning normally and that the nose gear did not retract due to the pilot putting the gear handle in the neutral position before the landing gear fully retracted. After the pilot recycled the landing gear it retracted without further issue and the flight proceeded to the destination. Before landing the pilot and two passengers confirmed the landing gear was extended by visual confirmation and as indicated by the cockpit landing gear indicators. The pilot reported the airplane touched down on the main landing gear, followed by the nose landing gear. When the nose landing gear touched down, the pilot felt like the nose landing gear was not locked. The airplane bounced, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane came to rest upright. The airplane owner stated the airplane touched down on the nose wheel, porpoised multiple times, and came to rest upright. Due to the lack of reported substantial damage, the accident was initially classified as an incident. Several months later, the airplane owner reported additional damage was observed to the forward fuselage bulkhead and other structure. The nose landing gear retract arm was pulled and separated from the bulkhead. During the time between the accident and the notification of additional damage, the airplane was sold for salvage and partially disassembled. Due to the partial disassembly, the landing gear system was compromised and could not be functionally tested. As a result, the investigation was unable to determine if the reported landing gear malfunction occurred before or during the runway contact.

On November 27, 2022, about 1430 central standard time, a Cessna 210 airplane, N9468T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Waco, Texas. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff the airplane felt “sluggish,” so she looked out the window at the mirror on the wing and noticed the main wheels were retracted but the nose gear was partially extended. The right seat passenger, who was also a pilot, stated that he also observed that the nose gear was partially extended. The pilot recycled the landing gear and the three landing gear wheels retracted; the flight continued to the destination. The airplane owner, who was seated in the rear seat, reported that the gear only partially came up because the pilot moved the gear handle to the neutral position before the gear completed the retraction process. As the airplane neared the destination airport, the pilot entered the traffic pattern and lowered the landing gear. The pilot stated that the gear-down indication light was green, which indicated that the gear was in the down and locked position, and confirmed the gear was down by looking at the mirror on the wing. The passengers also confirmed that the gear was down and locked. The pilot turned the airplane onto final approach, reduced engine power, and lowered the flaps. The right seat passenger reported that the approach was “normal.” The pilot stated that the airplane touched down on the main wheels followed by the nosewheel; however, upon touchdown of the nosewheel, the nose gear did not feel “locked into place and felt spongey.” The airplane bounced and the propeller struck the ground. The rear seat passenger reported that he thought the approach looked low, and the pilot seemed flustered. He also reported that the nose was low, and the pilot did not flare when she came over the numbers, which led to the nosewheel contacting the runway before the main landing gear. The rear seat passenger reported the airplane bounced and porpoised multiple times before coming to rest upright on the runway. Initially this accident was classified as an incident due to the lack of reported substantial damage, and the airplane was released and sold for salvage. Upon being notified by the owner of reported additional damage several months later, the airplane was examined after the airplane had been partially disassembled. Due to the partial disassembly, the airplane landing gear system was compromised and could not be functionally tested. The examination revealed substantial damage to the fuselage bulkhead because the nose landing gear retract arm was pulled and separated from the bulkhead.