NYC02LA112

The pilot preflighted the airplane and noted no anomalies with the nosewheel assembly. He completed one flight without incident, and departed on a second. The flight progressed without incident until the airplane neared the pilot's planned destination. At that point, the pilot heard the landing gear motor activate, and continued to run. He performed the emergency gear extension procedure, and after determining the landing gear was not locked down, the pilot performed an emergency landing. The airplane touched down, and slid down and off the runway, substantially damaging the horizontal stabilizer. Examination of the nose wheel actuator revealed the piston o-ring had failed.

On June 10, 2002, about 2052 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182RG, N4652T, was substantially damaged when it landed with the landing gear partially extended at the Worcester Regional Airport (ORH), Worcester, Massachusetts. The certificated airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville, North Carolina, destined for Worcester. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, he preflighted the airplane and noted no anomalies with the nosewheel assembly. He and a passenger then boarded, departed Worcester, and flew to Asheville. The flight was uneventful, and the landing gear performed as expected. After being on the ground for several hours, the pilot and passenger reboarded the airplane, and departed for Worcester about 1700. Once airborne, the pilot proceeded towards his planned destination, and climbed to 7,000 feet msl. The flight progressed without incident until the airplane was near Hartford, Connecticut. At that point, the pilot heard the landing gear motor activate. He added that the landing gear was held up by hydraulic pressure, and that the motor would occasionally activate for a few seconds, but this time, it continued to run and sounded like it was not under load. The pilot pulled the landing gear motor circuit breaker. The motor stopped. He then reset the circuit breaker, and the motor reactivated. The motor ran for a couple of seconds, and then he pulled the circuit breaker again.

The pilot reset the circuit breaker for a second time, and performed the emergency gear extension procedure as stated in the pilot's operating handbook. While executing the procedure, the pilot felt the landing gear "fall," but he never observed a safe gear indication, nor did he see the main landing gear come forward and lock. Arriving at Worcester, the pilot performed a low pass down runway 33. The tower controller advised him that the landing gear was down, but did not appear to be locked. The pilot then executed a left traffic pattern for runway 33. With airport fire and rescue crews in position, the pilot turned final. About 1/2 mile from the runway, he selected full flaps, and the unsafe gear horn sounded. While over the runway, he secured the engine, and initiated a flare. The airplane touched down close to stall speed. On the ground, the pilot could feel that the nose wheel was locked down, and that the partially extended main landing gear was dragging along side the aft portion of the fuselage. The airplane departed the right side of the runway, and came to rest right wing low between runways 33 and 29. The pilot released the passenger's seatbelt, and the passenger "rolled" out of the airplane and onto the ground under the right wing. The pilot finished securing the airplane, and then exited out the same door.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that examined the airplane after the accident, hydraulic fluid was identified in the wheel well for the nose gear, and along the bottom side of the fuselage. In addition, the horizontal stabilizer displayed substantial damage.

Examination of the nose wheel actuator revealed the actuator piston was scored, and the piston o-ring had failed. The serial number on the actuator was not legible, and there were no entries in the maintenance records relating to the replacement or overhaul of the unit. The airplane underwent an annual inspection on October 24, 2001, had flown approximately 80 since the inspection, and had a total time of approximately 3,839 hours. Maintenance records for the airplane before 1995 were not available for examination. According to the manufacturer, the airplane was built in 1985, and the actuator was a condition change item, required to be inspected during an annual\100 hour inspection.