Pilot Debrief

Cessna 402 near Fort Lauderdale, FL — 2018-06-14

Final reportWPR18LA209
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Date
2018-06-14
Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Airport
FLL
Aircraft
Cessna 402
Registration
N322HA
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The failure of the left starter relay, which resulted in a loss of electrical power during the flight and the failure of the T-handle from the cable led to a forced landing with the landing gear retracted.

NTSB narrative

About 20 minutes into the flight, the airplane experienced a total electrical failure. The pilot maneuvered the airplane in circles while attempting to troubleshoot the problem and perform emergency checklists. Despite his efforts, power was not restored, and the electrically actuated hydraulic landing gear would not extend. The pilot attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency extension system, but when he pulled the T-handle, it broke off from its housing, separating it from the cable. After additional troubleshooting attempts on the electrical system, the pilot chose to land at a nearby airport, and the airplane landed on the runway with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A mechanic who performed a postaccident examination of the airplane stated that the left starter motor and starter relay/solenoid had electrical shorts. Additionally, the starter relay remained in the closed position, which likely resulted in the airplane drawing a greater electrical load and draining the battery, leading to a complete loss of power. The emergency extension T-handle was not examined after the accident. However, based on the pilot’s account of the handle breaking off when he attempted to use the emergency extension system, it is likely this prevented the manual extension of the landing gear, which resulted in the forced landing with the landing gear retracted.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have returned to the departure airport after initial electrical failure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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