Cessna 177RG N8029G

Summary

On 15 August 2021 at about 20:57 local time, a Cessna 177RG registered N8029G was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. One person was 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

15 August 2021 at 20:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Albuquerque Intl Sunport (ABQ)

Coordinates

35.0389, -106.6083

Aircraft

Cessna 177RG

Registration

N8029G

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

St Johns → Sayre

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA323

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the nose gear hydraulic flex line, which resulted in a loss of hydraulic fluid which prevented the main landing gear from fully extending and locking into place during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the airplane was not performing as expected. He observed that the main landing gear did not fully retract so he diverted to a nearby airport. Despite multiple attempts to cycle the landing gear, which included utilizing the emergency landing gear extension procedures, he was able to extend the nose landing gear, but he was unable to obtain a positive down and locked indication on the main landing gear. As fuel levels decreased, the pilot landed the airplane with the main landing gear in the retracted position. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed hydraulic fluid on the undercarriage of the airplane behind the nose landing gear wheel well. The nose landing gear up hydraulic flex line showed signs of leakage. The hydraulic flex line was disconnected, and pressure tested with 200 ft pounds of nitrogen. A leak in the hydraulic flex line was identified near the top of the line, but well below the fitting. It is likely that the identified leak in the hydraulic line led to a loss of hydraulic fluid and did not allow the main landing gear to extend and lock into place. As a result, the pilot made a gear up landing on the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.