No fatalities

Main Landing Gear Collapse After Incomplete Extension During Landing

Houston, TX, United States

On January 19, 2011, a CESSNA R182 NO SERIES operated by CONVERSION AVIATION INC was involved in an aviation accident near Houston, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the hydraulic power pack electric pump motor, resulting in incomplete extension of the main landing gear. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During a landing following a maintenance flight, both main landing gear legs collapsed after touchdown when the pilot did not detect an incomplete gear extension. The nose gear remained extended, and the rear fuselage and left horizontal stabilizer contacted the runway. Investigation revealed an inoperative hydraulic power pack motor.

Event Description

The pilot was returning to the airport after a local maintenance flight. During the before-landing cockpit checks, the pilot did not detect that the landing gear had not fully extended. After touchdown, at approximately 70 knots, both main landing gear legs collapsed. The nose gear remained extended throughout the event. The rear fuselage and left horizontal stabilizer subsequently contacted the concrete pavement.

Examination Findings

Following the incident, the operator conducted an examination of the aircraft's hydraulic power pack. The examination revealed that the electric pump motor was inoperative. According to the operator's analysis, the failure of the power pack before the end of the gear extension cycle would result in a fully extended nose gear and a partial extension of the main landing gear legs.

Probable cause

Failure of the hydraulic power pack electric pump motor, resulting in incomplete extension of the main landing gear.

Contributing factors

Causes

Malfunction

Other contributing factors

Pilot