# NTSB CHI02LA127: Cessna 310L, N1199L, Detroit, MI, May 4, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 4, 2002, 08:10 local (12:10 UTC) - Place: Detroit, MI - Coordinates: 42.329429, -83.049003 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3294&lon=-83.0490&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 18, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration Grand Rapids FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54684 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02LA127 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54684/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54684 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02LA127 ## Probable cause The total failure of the electrical system, the landing gear indicating system not operating, and the unsuccessful emergency landing gear extension. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Gear collapsed, landing - gear extension - not successful (cause) - electrical system - failure,total (cause) - landing gear,gear indicating system - not operating (cause) ## Analysis While in cruise flight the airplane lost all electrical power and the pilot extended the landing gear using the emergency gear extension hand crank. During landing the main and nose landing gear collapsed resulting in substantial damage. According to the Cessna 310L Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), when the landing gear does not extend electrically the pilot is to rotate the emergency landing gear hand crank, "Clockwise four turns past point where gear down lights come on (approximately 52 turns)." Due to the electrical failure the gear position indicating lights were inoperative. ## Factual narrative On May 4, 2002, at 0810 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310L, N1199L, owned and piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when the landing gear collapsed while landing on runway 33 (5,090 feet by 100 feet, dry/asphalt) at the Detroit City Airport (DET), Detroit, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The pilot and his two passengers reported no injuries. The flight departed DET at 0735 and was returning due to an in-flight electrical system failure. According to the pilot's written statement, the flight was intended to be a cross-country to Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Atlanta, Georgia. The pilot reported that when he was handed-off to Toledo approach control he noticed that the instrument lights were blinking off and on. The pilot stated he informed Toledo approach control that he was having electrical problems and wanted to return to DET. The pilot reported while returning to DET the airplane lost all electrical power. The pilot stated, "Upon arriving at DET we hand crank[ed] the landing gear down, the landing gear did not lock." The pilot reported that during the landing the nose and main landing gear collapsed and the airplane swerved off the runway. According to the Cessna 310L Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), when the landing gear does not extend electrically the pilot is to rotate the emergency landing gear hand crank, "Clockwise four turns past point where gear down lights come on (approximately 52 turns)." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1199L](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1199L-2006-01-24), registration cancelled 2006-01-24, S/N 310L-0033 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 310L - Registry model: [Cessna 310L](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-310l) (registry code 2074230) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-470-series) (registry code 17044, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 0033 - Airframe hours: 7272 - Engines: Continental I0-470-VO 270 horsepower reciprocating; Continental IO-470-VO 270 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Jerome Morgan - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 1, 2001, 83 hours before - Departed: DET, Detroit, MI - Destination: PDK, Atlanta, GA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: DET, Detroit City Airport, runway 33, 5,090 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review February 15, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 1,200 total, 600 in this make and model, 1,200 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 45 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 30.29 inHg - Observed at: KDET ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020504021429A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020504021429A), May 4, 2002: Cessna 310L, Detroit, MI, Substantial damage. (.19) On may 4, 2002, at 0810 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310L, N1199L, owned and piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when the landing… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 14, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54684. 487 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 392 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40436525&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Landing Gear System Information (item 2, .PDF, 94 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40175917&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Landing%20Gear%20System%20Information-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.