# NTSB DEN06LA070: Cessna T-R182RG, N6170S, Englewood, CO, April 22, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 21, 2006, 21:10 local (Apr 22, 2006, 03:10 UTC) - Place: Englewood, CO - Coordinates: 39.570278, -104.849441 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5703&lon=-104.8494&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 3, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 63622 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN06LA070 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63622/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN06LA070 ## Probable cause the pilot inadvertently retracting the landing gear. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Gear retraction on ground, taxi - from landing - gear retraction - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The airplane landed and, according to the pilot, he may have "possibly inadvertently hit the gear handle." The nose gear retracted and the airplane skidded down the centerline before drifting off the left side and sliding another 300 feet. The left main landing gear then retracted. In addition to a broken left wing tip fairing, scraped landing gear doors, a crushed exhaust manifold, and a bent propeller, there was structural damage to the nose wheel tunnel. According to the manufacturer, the airplane was equipped with a "squat switch" that senses weight-on-wheels and prevents inadvertent landing gear retraction. The spokesman said there were several reasons why the landing gear may have retracted: a defective squat switch, an over-inflated nose gear strut (that would cause the electrical contacts of the squat switch to separate), misrigging of the squat switch, or the airplane may have bounced, allowing the electrical contacts to separate. According to the repair facility that retrieved the airplane, the squat switch was functionally tested and it operated satisfactorily. ## Factual narrative On April 22, 2006, approximately 2110 mountain daylight time, a Cessna TR182, N6170S, piloted by a private pilot and accompanied by an ATP-certificated flight instructor, was substantially damaged when the landing gear was inadvertently retracted while taxiing from landing at Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The two pilots were not injured. The originated approximately 1930. The airplane landed at APA and, according to the pilot, he may have "possibly inadvertently hit the gear handle." The nose gear retracted and the airplane skidded down the centerline before drifting off the left side and sliding another 300 feet. The left main landing gear then retracted. In addition to a broken left wing tip fairing, scraped landing gear doors, a crushed exhaust manifold, and a bent propeller, there was structural damage to the nose wheel tunnel. According to a Cessna Aircraft Company spokesman, the airplane was equipped with a "squat switch" that senses weight-on-wheels, and prevents inadvertent landing gear retraction. The spokesman said there were several reasons why the landing gear may have retracted: a defective squat switch, an over-inflated nose gear strut (that would cause the electrical contacts of the squat switch to separate), misrigging of the squat switch, or the airplane may have bounced, allowing the electrical contacts to separate. According to the repair facility that retrieved the airplane, the squat switch was functionally tested and it operated satisfactorily. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6170S](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6170S), registered now, S/N R18201637, built 1980 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna T-R182RG - Registry model: [Cessna TR182](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-tr182) (registry code 2072735) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (registry code 41532, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: TR18201637 - Airframe hours: 4608 - Engines: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Milam, H. William Wallace III - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, October 1, 2005 - Departed: APA, Englewood, CO - Destination: APA, Englewood, CO - Airport: APA, Centennial, runway 17L, 10,002 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 37; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review August 1, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 118 total, 56 in this make and model, 52 as pilot in command - Flight instructor; age 31; injuries: none; flight instructor, commercial, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review September 1, 2005; seat: right; flight hours: 2,483 total, 650 in this make and model, 1,808 as pilot in command, 9 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 10° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 16 °F - Altimeter: 30.01 inHg - Observed at: APA ## 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 20060421005409A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060421005409A), Apr 21, 2006: Cessna TR182, Denver, CO, Substantial damage. (-23) The private pilot and one passenger made an uneventful landing at centenial airport (apa). While on rollout the pilot inadvertently raised the landing… 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.