Summary
On November 14, 2015, a Cessna 177 (N2112Q) was involved in an incident near Palm Springs, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The failure of a shaft seal at the nose gear retraction/extension actuator, which resulted in a loss of hydraulic fluid and a main landing gear collapse during landing.
The pilot reported that during the takeoff initial climb, after the landing gear was retracted, the landing gear's hydraulic pump electric motor continued to run, even though the landing gear appeared to be fully retracted, as viewed in the landing gear mirror. The pilot then attempted to extend the landing gear normally, but the landing gear would not indicate down and locked. Subsequently, for over an hour, the pilot attempted to manually extend the landing gear, using the emergency manual gear extension hand pump, but he could see in the mirror that the landing gear was only partially extended. During the subsequent emergency landing, the main landing gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The right stabilator sustained substantial damage.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA074. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2112Q.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The failure of a shaft seal at the nose gear retraction/extension actuator, which resulted in a loss of hydraulic fluid and a main landing gear collapse during landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the takeoff initial climb, after the landing gear was retracted, the landing gear's hydraulic pump electric motor continued to run, even though the landing gear appeared to be fully retracted, as viewed in the landing gear mirror. The pilot then attempted to extend the landing gear normally, but the landing gear would not indicate down and locked. Subsequently, for over an hour, the pilot attempted to manually extend the landing gear, using the emergency manual gear extension hand pump, but he could see in the mirror that the landing gear was only partially extended. During the subsequent emergency landing, the main landing gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The right stabilator sustained substantial damage.
A postaccident examination revealed that the landing gear system was empty of hydraulic fluid. After the system was serviced with hydraulic fluid and operated, a leak was found at the nose gear actuator due to the failure of a shaft seal. The tests revealed that the landing gear extension process could not be completed, and the manual landing gear pump did not have sufficient fluid remaining to extend all three landing gear. The airplane logbooks revealed no records of service to the nose gear actuator and shaft seal and each were the original manufactured parts.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA16CA074