- Date
- July 21, 2001, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Amarillo, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6114ACessna T210N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010721022779A
- Case key
- 52807
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to verify that the landing gear was extended and locked before landing. A contributing factor was a tripped landing gear motor circuit breaker, which resulted in the failure of the main landing gear to fully extend and lock.
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 pilot put the landing gear control switch to the down position when he was 5 miles from landing. Prior to turning final, he "verified" that the gear was extended by looking out the window and into the mirror under the right wing. As the airplane was touching down on the runway, the gear warning horn sounded. After touchdown, the main landing gear collapsed, and the nose landing gear remained extended. The airplane tilted to the left, the left wing struck the runway, and the airplane turned 90 degrees and exited the runway. An examination of the cockpit by an FAA inspector revealed a tripped/popped landing gear motor circuit breaker. The circuit breaker was reset, and the gear was successfully pumped down by hand using the emergency gear extension mechanism.
Factual narrative
On July 21, 2001, at 1215 central daylight time, a Cessna T210N single-engine airplane, N6114A, was substantially damaged during landing at the Amarillo International Airport near Amarillo, Texas. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight originated from Sugar Land, Texas, at 0900.
According to the pilot, he put the landing gear control switch to the down position when he was 5 miles from landing. Prior to turning final, he "verified" that the gear was extended by looking out the window and into the mirror under the right wing. As the airplane was touching down on runway 22, the gear warning horn sounded. After touchdown, the main landing gear collapsed, and the nose landing gear remained extended. When the "wings lost lift," the airplane tilted to the left, the left wing struck the runway, and the airplane turned 90 degrees and exited the runway.
The pilot stated in the Recommendation (How could this accident have been prevented) section of the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, that the accident could have been prevented by better training for the pilot on the failure of the gear to extend and lock, and practice of manual gear extension.
An examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the left wing tip, left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator were damaged. A subsequent examination of the cockpit revealed "a tripped [landing] gear motor circuit breaker." The circuit breaker was reset, and the gear was successfully pumped down by hand using the emergency gear extension mechanism.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6114A
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21063489
- Airframe hours
- 1,240
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-r, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James D. May
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 12, 2000 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- SGR · Sugar Land, TX
- Destination
- AMA · Amarillo, TX
- Airport
- AMA · Amarillo International, runway 22, 13,502 × 300 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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 30, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 477 total · 275 in this make and model · 477 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- AMA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.