WPR18LA264

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna T210 · San Luis Obispo, CA · September 15, 2018

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
September 14, 2018, 17:18 local (Sep 15, 2018, 00:18 UTC)
Place
San Luis Obispo, CA
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5340YCessna T210
Defining event
Landing: Landing gear not configured
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report November 19, 2019
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
FAA-FSDO
FAA report
20180914022309A
Case key
98312

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 failure of the landing gear extension motor due to wear, which resulted in the right main landing gear not fully extending and locking into place during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to ensure that all three landing gear were down and locked before landing.

Findings · 2

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Landing gear system: gear extension and retract sysAircraft › Aircraft systems · Fatigue/wear/corrosionCessna T210N: 3 casesAll aircraft: 416 casesProbable cause
Action: lack of actionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · PilotCessna T210N: 3 casesAll aircraft: 792 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The private pilot reported that during the approach to land after a cross-country flight, he lowered the landing gear and felt the gear extending into place. After visually observing the left main landing gear out the window, he thought that everything was normal for landing. As the airplane contacted the runway about 65 to 70 knots, he felt a bump from the right as the nose landing gear contacted the runway. The airplane veered to the right as it exited the runway, then completed a 180° turn before coming to rest in the runway safety area; the right horizontal stabilizer and right elevator impacted the ground and were buckled upward. The pilot reported that he did not remember seeing the landing gear indicator lights during the approach, nor did he hear the landing gear warning horn; however, the pilot was wearing a noise-cancelling headset during the flight that could have prevented him from hearing the warning horn. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear was collapsed. The landing gear extension motor was replaced, and no anomalies were noted when the landing gear was tested; the warning horn sounded, and landing gear indicator lights illuminated during the testing. It was revealed during the examination that the landing gear extension motor on the airplane at the time of the accident was the original pump installed during the airplane's manufacture about 37 years before the accident. The motor was disassembled and had internal wear, which likely prevented the landing gear from fully extending and locking into place during landing.

Factual narrative

On September 14, 2018, about 1718 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T210 airplane, N5340Y, was substantially damaged during landing roll at San Luis County Regional Airport (SBP), San Luis Obispo, California. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight. The flight originated from John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California at 1613, with a destination of SBP.The pilot reported that during the approach to land at SBP, he selected the landing gear to the DOWN position, after which he felt the gear extending into place. Following the gear extension, he observed the left main landing gear out the window and felt that everything was normal. As the airplane contacted the runway at 65 to 70 knots, he felt a "…bump up from the right" as the nose landing gear immediately made contact with the runway. The airplane veered to the right as it exited the runway, and completed a 180° turn before coming to rest in the runway safety area. Additionally, the pilot reported that he did not hear the landing gear warning horn, nor did he remember seeing the landing indicator lights during the approach. The pilot wore a noise cancelling headset during the flight. Initial examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right main landing gear was retracted, and that the right horizontal stabilizer and the right elevator had impacted the ground and were buckled upwards. Subsequent to the airplane being relocated to a facility on the airport, the landing gear extension motor was replaced. The landing gear was tested, and no anomalies were noted. The warning horn sounded, and landing gear indicator lights illuminated during the testing. It was revealed during the examination that the landing gear extension motor was the original pump installed during the manufacturing of the airplane. When the motor was disassembled, internal wear was observed. The six-seat, high-wing, retractable tricycle-gear airplane, serial number (S/N) 21064173 was manufactured in 1981 and had accumulated 6,813.5 hours total airframe time at the last annual inspection on March 22, 2018.

Aircraft

Registration
N5340Y
Reported as
Cessna T210 (N)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
21064173
Built
1981
Airframe hours
6,813.5
Engine
Teledyne Continental TSIO-520R, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · March 22, 2018
Departed
KSNA · Santa Ana, CA
Destination
KSBP · San Luis Obispo, CA
Airport
SBP · San Luis County Rgnl, runway 29, 6,101 × 150 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Stall warning system, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display

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, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
July 31, 2017
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
2,563.8 total · 2,521 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
310° at 13 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
70 °F, dew point 48 °F
Altimeter
29.85 inHg
Observed at
KSPD, 20 nm away

Docket · 4

The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.