Cessna 172RG N5404V

Summary

On 30 December 1997 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N5404V was involved in an accident near Van Nuys, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 December 1997 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Van Nuys, California, United States

Nearest airport

Van Nuys (VNY)

Coordinates

34.1899, -118.4904

Aircraft

Cessna 172RG

Registration

N5404V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA065

Nobody was injured.

The student and flight instructor's failure to verify that the landing gear was in the down position, and the design of the electrical system in which a single-point aircraft system malfunction (one open circuit breaker) disabled both the landing gear warning system and the main gear downlock switches.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that the student pilot had extended the landing gear on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, but then retracted it after being told to go around by the control tower. On the second downwind leg, the student again placed the gear switch in the down position; however, neither the student nor the instructor visually verified that the gear was down and locked. During the final flare for landing, the instructor noted that the gear was not down and that the 5 amp gear warning circuit breaker had opened. He then closed the circuit breaker and noted the gear starting to extend, but it had achieved only an intermediate position at the time of touchdown. The airplane subsequently settled on to the runway and incurred damage to the underside, the right wing, and the right horizontal stabilizer. A review of the Cessna 172RG Service Manual, Drawing No. 2471000, 'Wiring Diagram-Landing Gear System' indicated that subject circuit breaker, in addition to providing power to the gear indicator lights and warning horn, also powers the main gear downlock switches and the stall warning horn.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.