N732FJCessna 210L · 1976

On July 11, 2017, about 1110 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210L, N732FJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Avoca, Pennsylvania. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that the flight was destined for Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After takeoff from Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU), Morristown, New Jersey, the pilot placed the gear handle in the up position; the gear started to retract, but the cycle never completed. He attempted to recycle the gear back to the down position without success. The hydraulic gear pump ran, but the gear did not move. The pilot then attempted to use the manual emergency landing gear hand pump; however, there was no resistance, and he thought that there was no hydraulic fluid in the system.

The pilot stated that upon discussing the issue with maintenance personnel over the radio, they agreed that there was likely no hydraulic fluid and no corrective action to remedy the situation. The pilot subsequently diverted to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), Avoca, Pennsylvania. While in the airport traffic pattern at AVP, he performed a flyby of the control tower, and the controller advised that the gear appeared to be down, dangling, and not locked. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 22, and upon touchdown, the landing gear folded back, the airplane tilted left and skidded along the runway before coming to rest.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector who responded to the accident site and examined the airplane. The inspector observed that the airplane had incurred substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer, left elevator, and left wingtip. Further examination revealed that the left landing gear door actuator failed, and hydraulic fluid was observed in and around the left landing gear well. Maintenance personnel who performed subsequent maintenance on the airplane noted that the c-clip that held a cap in place at the left landing gear door piston actuator “blew out,” which resulted in the release of hydraulic pressure and fluid from the lines. The emergency landing gear extension hand pump operated on the same system.