# NTSB SEA08LA028: Cessna 210L, N987M, Santa Barbara, CA, November 16, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 16, 2007, 13:40 local (21:40 UTC) - Place: Santa Barbara, CA - Coordinates: 34.426109, -119.840278 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.4261&lon=-119.8403&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 30, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 67144 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA08LA028 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/67144/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA08LA028 ## Probable cause The left main landing gear's down limit switch plunger being bent and stuck in the closed position, which resulted in the collapse of the landing gear during the landing roll. The reason for the down limit switch plunger being bent could not be determined. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Gear collapsed, landing - roll - landing gear,gear switch - bent (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - runway ## Analysis Prior to landing the pilot confirmed that the landing gear was down and locked. During the landing roll the airplane began to veer left, followed by the left main landing gear collapsing. The airplane came to rest upright on the left side of the runway with its left elevator resting on the runway's surface. A post-accident examination revealed that the left main landing gear down limit switch plunger was bent and stuck in the closed position, falsely indicating that the left main landing gear was locked [down]. The examination further revealed that the two hydraulic hoses to the downlock actuator were making contact with the airplane's skin, binding the downlock from fully opening to allow the down limit switch to clear the striker plate during the down cycle. The two hoses were subsequently repositioned to eliminate the binding, which resulted in the landing gear operating normally. It was not determined how the switch had become bent. The pilot reported no anomalies with the airplane prior to the flight. ## Factual narrative On November 16, 2007, about 1340 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 210L, N987M, sustained substantial damage as a result of a left main landing gear collapse during landing roll at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), Santa Barbara, California. The certificated private pilot and his sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal cross-country flight, which was conducted in accordance with 14 CFR Part 91. The flight had departed the Chino Municipal Airport (CNO), Chino, California, about 1230. The pilot reported that prior to landing he completed the [before] landing checklist and observed the landing gear annunciator light indicating a safe down and locked condition. The pilot stated that during the landing roll the airplane began to veer to the left, followed by the left main landing gear collapsing. The airplane came to rest in an upright position on the north side of the runway, with the left elevator having sustained substantial damage as a result of impacting the runway's surface. The pilot reported no anomalies with the airplane prior to the flight. A post-accident examination of the landing gear's extension/retraction system by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, revealed that the left main landing gear down limit switch plunger was bent and stuck in the closed position. The inspector reported that it was observed that the two hydraulic lines to the downlock actuator were in a binding position, preventing the downlock from fully opening to allow the down limit switch to clear the striker plate during the down/extension cycle. The two hoses were subsequently repositioned, which eliminated the binding and resulted in the landing gear operating normally during the extension cycle. The reason for the down limit switch plunger being bent could not be determined. The pilot reported no anomalies existed with the airplane prior to the flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N987M](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N987M), registered now, S/N 21061093, built 1975 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 210L - Registry model: [Cessna 210L](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210l) (registry code 2073448) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 21061093 - Airframe hours: 3320 - Engines: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520-H4B 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: David Zanze - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2007, 23 hours before - Departed: CNO, Chino, CA - Destination: SBA, Santa Barbara, CA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: SBA, Santa Barbara Municipal, runway 07, 6,055 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review January 1, 2007; seat: left; flight hours: 22 total, 22 in this make and model, 1,257 as pilot in command, 107 in the last 90 days, 22 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 170° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: SBA ## 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 20071116828529A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071116828529A), Nov 16, 2007: Cessna 210L, Santa Barbara, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) 11/16/07 At approx. 1335 local time N987M a Cessna 210-L, experienced a l/h main gear collapse during landing on runway 7 at sba. The aircraft sustained… 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.