Cessna TR182 N4657S accident near Watertown, New York

Probable cause

A collapse of the main landing gear for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

NTSB analysis

Before landing at the conclusion of the personal flight, the commercial pilot extended the airplane's retractable landing gear and observed a green light indicating the landing gear were down. During landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, followed by the left main landing gear, and the airplane veered off the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, elevator, and right horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear circuit breaker was tripped and that the landing gear warning horn was not functional. Further examination of the landing gear system revealed intermittent sticking of the landing gear solenoid, which resulted in the power pack continuing to run for longer than necessary, which would subsequently trip the landing gear circuit breaker. Replacement of the solenoid corrected the issue. The examination did not reveal any other anomalies of the landing gear system. Given the pilot's report of observing a positive indication that the landing gear extended, as well as the anomalies of the landing gear system that were discovered during the postaccident examination, the method and sequence of the landing gear collapse could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17LA033 for the full record.