Cessna 177RG N300ZX accident near Olympia, Washington

Probable cause

A loss of directional control during landing for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the nose gear steering mechanism did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB analysis

The pilot/owner of the retractable-gear airplane was completing a personal flight from a nearby airport back to his home airport. About 150 feet beyond the touchdown point, the airplane began veering to the right. The pilot was unable to correct the veer, and the airplane skidded off the right side of the runway into the adjacent grass and dirt. The airplane came to rest upright on its belly, adjacent to the side of the runway, and facing in about the opposite direction of landing. The two main landing gear assemblies were collapsed aft, essentially into their near-retracted positions. The nose gear remained partially attached to the airplane and was overextended forward to a near-horizontal orientation. Much of the physical evidence that was obtained was consistent with the collapse or retraction of both main landing gear just after landing.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear downlock mechanism functioned normally, but a slight anomaly with the left main landing gear downlock mechanism was observed. Because neither the pilot nor the air traffic controller reported a gear collapse, and the physical evidence was inconsistent with a left gear only collapse, a failure of that downlock was excluded as the cause of the right veer. An NTSB metallurgical examination indicated that the fractured nose landing gear components all failed due to tensile overload. Further examination of the nose gear components did not reveal any preaccident mechanical deficiencies or failures that would have resulted in a steering malfunction.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12LA383 for the full record.