Cessna T337B N2334S

Summary

On 24 March 2012 at about 22:11 local time, a Cessna T337B registered N2334S, operated by Kevin R. Diel, was involved in an accident near Dothan, Alabama, 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

24 March 2012 at 22:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Dothan, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Dothan Regional Airport (DHN)

Coordinates

31.3211, -85.4494

Aircraft

Cessna T337B

Registration

N2334S

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Kevin R. Diel

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Enterprise → Dothan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA273

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the landing gear to extend and lock, despite troubleshooting attempts using normal and emergency procedures. The reason for the failure could not be determined because the systems were unavailable for testing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After flying in the local area for about 1.8 hours, the pilot returned to the departure airport. However, when he placed the landing gear selector handle to the down position before landing, the gear did not fully extend and lock into position. The pilot said that he attempted to lower the landing gear manually using the emergency landing gear selector handle but reported that he felt great resistance after several pump strokes. He then pitched the airplane up then pushed the control yoke forward, which fully raised the landing gear (as he intended), then he attempted numerous times to extend the landing gear without success. The pilot proceeded to an alternate airport, where he performed a low pass by the air traffic control tower and was informed that the landing gear was in an “unsafe” position. He again raised the landing gear and returned to the alternate airport for a gear-up landing. He landed on the grass adjacent to the paved runway with the front propeller feathered and in a horizontal position in compliance with the procedures spelled out in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook. The airplane slid for about 200 feet before coming to rest upright. Postaccident, the airplane was raised with jacks, and a mechanic attempted to lower the landing gear using the emergency gear extension handle. The nose landing gear went into the down and locked position; however, the mechanic reported that the main landing gear only extended through about half of its cycle before the emergency gear extension handle “…came into a hydraulic lock." The mechanic was able to manually push the main landing gears into the locked position, and the airplane was lowered from the jacks. The airplane’s hydraulic powerpack was not available for testing; no cause for the landing gear malfunction could be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.