# NTSB NYC02LA112: Cessna 182RG, N4652T, Worcester, MA, June 11, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 10, 2002, 20:52 local (Jun 11, 2002, 00:52 UTC) - Place: Worcester, MA - Coordinates: 42.267223, -71.875556 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2672&lon=-71.8756&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54919 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC02LA112 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54919/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54919 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA112 ## Probable cause The failure of the nose wheel actuator o-ring. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, cruise - landing gear,nose gear assembly - leak (cause) - Wheels up landing, emergency landing - gear extension - not possible - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis 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. ## Factual narrative 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. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4652T](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4652T), registered now, S/N R18201725 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182RG - Registry model: [Cessna R182](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-r182) (registry code 2072734) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: R18201725 - Airframe hours: 3839 - Engines: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Donald M. Laing - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 24, 2001, 80 hours before - Departed: AVL, ASHEVILLE, NC - Destination: ORH, Worcester, MA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: ORH, Worcester Regional, runway 33, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 48; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review May 16, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 2,420 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 2,359 as pilot in command, 65 in the last 90 days, 40 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: ORH ## 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 20020610013279A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020610013279A), Jun 10, 2002: Cessna R182, Worcester, MA, No damage. (.19) On June 10, 2002, about 2052 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182RG, N4652T, was substantially damaged when it landed with the landing gear partially… ## Other investigations on N4652T (1) 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. - [NTSB MIA81FKA06](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA81FKA06), May 13, 1981: Cessna 182 (N4652T), Cabo Rojo, PR, substantial damage ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 15, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54919. 454 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 328 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40445866&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Memorandums for Record (item 2, .PDF, 126 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40181438&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandums%20for%20Record-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.