On April 11, 1996, a Cessna T210N (registration N9820Y) operated by Northern Air was involved in an aviation accident near Paradise, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's failure to follow landing gear extension procedures by not confirming that the gear was fully extended prior to touchdown. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A pilot reduced descent rate to 300 ft/min due to a passenger's ear discomfort, then landed with flaps and partial power. After touchdown, the landing gear warning horn sounded, and the airplane slid to a stop with only the nose gear extended; main gear were partially extended.
Incident Overview
During an approach to a destination airport, a passenger requested a slower rate of descent due to ear discomfort. The pilot complied by reducing the descent rate to 300 feet per minute and maintained this shallow descent through the landing touchdown. The landing was executed with flaps deployed and partial engine power.
Post-Touchdown Events
After the airplane touched down, the pilot heard the landing gear position warning horn. The airplane slid to a stop with only the nose gear extended. Examination revealed that the main landing gear were in a partially extended, or trailing, position.
Recovery and Examination
During recovery operations and subsequent inspection of the entire landing gear system, no defects or malfunctions were identified.