- Date
- November 17, 1994, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Alamosa, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N731QHCessna P210N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941117038389A
- Case key
- 19309
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
Failure by the pilot to properly judge the touch down point. Factors were: failure of the nose landing gear to extend and rough and uneven terrain.
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
On returning to the airport, following a post maintenance test flight, the nose landing gear would not extend. The pilot conducted a precautionary landing to a dirt runway, which gave him the best wind. He shut down the engine on short final and his glide failed to reach the runway. The aircraft landed in rough and uneven terrain approximately 50 feet short of the runway. Examination of the aircraft revealed the nose landing gear downlock spring failed jamming the nose gear in the retracted position.
Factual narrative
On November 17, 1994, at 1100 mountain standard time, a Cessna P210N, N731QH, sustained substantial damage on landing at Alamosa, Colorado. The pilot was not injured and no flight plan was filed for this local post maintenance test flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the pilot, and FAA airworthiness inspector, who examined the aircraft and interviewed the pilot, when the pilot lowered the landing gear during approach following an engine maintenance test flight, the nose gear did not extend. After several attempts to extend the nose gear, the pilot performed a precautionary approach and landing to a dirt runway. On short final he shut off the fuel and the engine ceased to operate. The aircraft landed approximately 50 feet short of the runway in rough terrain.
The airport at Alamosa, where the aircraft landed, has both dirt and asphalt runways. The pilot elected to use the dirt runway (24) due to the wind which was 240 degrees at 22 knots with gusts to 25 knots.
Examination of the aircraft revealed that nose landing gear down lock spring failed and jammed the nose gear in the up position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731QH
- Reported as
- Cessna P210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P21000526
- Airframe hours
- 2,471
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-P, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Spud Seller, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1994 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- ALS
- Destination
- ALS · CO
- Airport
- ALS · San Luis Valley Regional, runway 24, 3,000 × 60 ft, dirt
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,135 total · 561 in this make and model · 2,078 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 22 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ALS, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.