Cessna 210 N9410M

Summary

On 1 June 2018 at about 18:18 local time, a Cessna 210 registered N9410M was involved in an accident near Ramona, 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

1 June 2018 at 18:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Ramona, California, United States

Nearest airport

Ramona (RNM)

Coordinates

33.0386, -116.9106

Aircraft

Cessna 210

Registration

N9410M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Belen → Ramona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC18LA043

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the engine-driven hydraulic pump due to the installation of improper cap screws, which resulted in a gap in the pump housing, a subsequent hydraulic leak, and the landing gear collapsing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal, cross-country flight. He reported that he attempted to lower the retractable landing gear during a visual approach; however, the right main landing gear (MLG) did not fully extend. He attempted to manually pump the landing gear down with the emergency hand pump, but it was very difficult to move, and after several pumps, it would not move at all. Upon landing, the right MLG collapsed and the airplane impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator. Postaccident examination and tests revealed that, when the MLG system was tested using the airplane’s engine-driven hydraulic pump, fluid started leaking from a gap in the pump’s diaphragm seal between the front plate assembly and the rear housing assembly, and the MLG would not extend. Subsequently, the MLG system was tested with an external hydraulic pump, and it functioned properly. The two front plate cap screws on the side of the leaking pump gap were loose, had only three or four threads engaged with the rear assembly, and had insufficient shank length. The corresponding rear housing internal threads were sheared. Due to the installation of cap screws with insufficient shank length, fewer threads were engaged when the screws were tightened. The insufficient length of the shanks likely led to excessive force being applied on the engaged threads when the cap screws were installed, the threads being damaged, and a gap in the pump housing to develop, which allowed fluid to leak from the pump when it was pressurized. The hydraulic leak prevented the right MLG from fully extending and resulted in it collapsing upon landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.