Cessna T210K N8251M

Summary

On 28 October 2007 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna T210K registered N8251M was involved in an accident near Los Alamos, New Mexico, 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

28 October 2007 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Los Alamos Airport (LAM)

Coordinates

35.8744, -106.2681

Aircraft

Cessna T210K

Registration

N8251M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → Los Alamos

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08LA021

Nobody was injured.

The binding of the nose landing gear doors for undetermined reasons, resulting in the pilot having to make a nose gear up landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot's statement, during his approach to Los Alamos, he attempted to extend the landing gear. During the gear extension, the pilot noted that "something did not sound right, and [I] did not get a gear down indication in the cockpit." The pilot cycled the landing gear approximately "10 to 15 times in various speeds, power settings, g-loads, and attitudes" with no result. The pilot attempted to extend the landing gear manually, again with no result. The pilot then decided to fly the airplane to the airport in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which has a control tower, and have the tower controllers visually verify that the landing gear was down. The tower controller at Santa Fe advised the pilot that the airplane's nose landing gear was not extended and the nose gear doors were closed. After several more unsuccessful attempts to troubleshoot the problem, the pilot returned to Los Alamos and landed the airplane with the nose gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage. The airplane was examined and the landing gear was operated by a FAA inspector. During the first gear extension the nose landing gear unlocked, but the nose landing gear doors did not open. A mechanic pushed lightly on the gear doors and they came open, and the nose landing gear came down and locked. Subsequent cycles of the landing gear could not duplicate the problem.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.