Cessna 210 N96050 accident near Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Probable cause

Failure of the nose landing gear down pressure hose, which resulted in the main landing gear being unable to lock and collapse of the main landing gear during the landing roll.

NTSB analysis

The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern for landing and completed the before-landing checklist. He lowered the landing gear, and he noticed that the hydraulic unit stayed on and that the landing gear green light indication in the cockpit did not illuminate. He looked outside and the nosewheel was extended, but both main landing gear were only partially extended. He recycled the landing gear with negative results. He also added fluid to the hydraulic fill port in the cockpit, attempted to recycle the landing gear, and conducted some negative "g’s," but the gear did not fully extend. The pilot subsequently performed a straight-in approach with the nosewheel down and the main landing gear partially extended. During touchdown, the airplane veered to the left off the side of the runway and came to rest upright in a grassy area.

Examination of the airplane revealed a hole in the landing gear down-pressure hose, which prevented the landing gear from fully extending. Review of service information from the airplane manufacturer revealed that the hoses should be replaced every 5 years. The investigation could not determine when the last time the hose was replaced. The airplane's current mechanic had worked on the airplane for 3 years and had not replaced the hose during that time. He added that the hoses did not look damaged or degraded during the inspections he performed. There was no entry in the logbook to indicate the hydraulic hoses had been replaced within the last 5 years or 1,000 hours.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12LA299 for the full record.