Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 320 near Denton, TX — 2010-09-18

Final reportCEN10LA567
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Date
2010-09-18
Location
Denton, TX, USA
Airport
DTO
Aircraft
CESSNA 320
Registration
N56VP
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The failure of the landing gear push-pull rod.

NTSB narrative

During an instructional flight the student pilot performed four uneventful touch-and-go practice takeoffs and landings at one airport and then proceeded to another airport to make a soft-field landing on the grass runway. When the landing gear was extended, the landing gear indicator light did not illuminate. The annunciator lights were checked (press-to-test) and operated normally. He confirmed that the nose landing gear was only partially extended by looking in the convex mirrors mounted in on the engine nacelles. After the pilots cycled the landing gear several times and attempted to perform a manual extension least three times, the certificated flight instructor landed the airplane and the nose gear folded. A postaccident inspection revealed that the push-pull rod that connects the gear transmission to the nose gear had separated, damaging the wing spar and several fuselage ribs.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Instructor could have aborted landing due to gear indication issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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