History of Flight
On August 31, 2012, at about 1448 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, registration N300ZX, was substantially damaged during a runway veer-off during the landing rollout on runway 35 at Olympia Regional Airport (OLM), Olympia, Washington. The owner/pilot was not injured. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
According to the pilot, he based the airplane at OLM and was returning from a flight to a nearby airport. He described the touchdown as "uneventful." About 150 feet beyond the touchdown point, the airplane abruptly swerved to the right. The pilot attempted to counter the swerve with left rudder and brake but was unsuccessful. The airplane departed the runway surface, and all three landing gear collapsed or otherwise failed.
Subsequent examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector determined that the propeller, landing gear, airplane belly skins, and one elevator were damaged. The nose landing gear (NLG) components were retained for further examination.
Personnel Information
FAA records indicated the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The pilot reported a total flight experience of about 800 hours, including about 350 hours in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued in July 2012.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA data, the high-wing, retractable landing gear airplane was manufactured in 1971 and was first registered to the pilot in October 2000. Maintenance records indicated that landing gear maintenance, including replacement of some components and extensive re-rigging of the nose landing gear, was completed in June 2012. The most recent annual inspection was completed in July 2012.
The landing gear was operated by a cockpit lever that commanded hydraulic pressure to extend or retract the three landing gear. The two main landing gear assemblies rotated and translated forward for extension and retracted aft into wells in the aft fuselage. The main landing gear downlocks were electrically powered. The NLG assembly also rotated and translated forward for extension, using an overcenter mechanism and hydraulic pressure to lock it in the extended position.
Meteorological Information
The 1454 automated weather observation at OLM reported calm winds, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 21°C, dew point 8°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.95 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
OLM runway 35 was paved with grooved asphalt, in good condition, measuring 5,500 by 150 feet. Airport elevation was 209 feet above mean sea level. The airport had an operating air traffic control tower at the time.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright on its belly on the unpaved area adjacent to the right side of the runway, facing approximately the opposite direction of landing. The left wing, left horizontal stabilizer, aft fuselage, propeller, and all three landing gear were damaged.
The two main landing gear assemblies were found in near-retracted positions, with only a small portion of each tire protruding. The nose gear remained partially attached and was overextended forward to a near-horizontal orientation, with the wheel and tire located below and forward of the propeller arc.
The NLG upper torque link was fractured at its attach point to the lower torque link. The right-side lug of the NLG upper/aft drag link was fracture-separated. The steering bungee was fractured at the end where it attached to the NLG strut.
The propeller showed no damage signatures consistent with pavement contact but had rubber transfer and impact damage consistent with striking the nose gear tire or wheel. The nose gear tire had two transverse cuts, and the right side of the wheel had an impact gouge, all consistent with propeller blade strikes. Such contact would require overtravel of the NLG beyond its normal extended position.
The left side rim of the nose gear wheel exhibited scuffing consistent with abrasion by a rough non-metallic surface, but the left tire side did not.
Two long rubber skid marks and one small paint transfer smear were observed on the runway near where the airplane came to rest, all arced and approximately parallel. The heavy skid mark appeared to originate toward the runway center and curved east, continuing as a gouge in the grass and dirt, terminating near where the airplane's nose came to rest. A section of that skid mark exhibited metal smearing consistent with wheel contact. The available evidence was consistent with the skid mark being produced by the NLG, but this was not positively determined.
The narrow skid mark was about 10 feet north of the heavy one, terminating at the runway edge. The paint smear measured about 1 foot by 3 feet, about 8 feet north of the narrow skid mark.
Additional Information
Maintenance Information
Maintenance records showed repairs and landing gear checks in December 2000, consistent with actions after a gear-up landing. Extensive landing gear work was completed on June 12, 2012, including replacement of hydraulic hoses and repair/re-rigging of components, including the "right gear downlock hook assembly." The most recent annual inspection was on July 2, 2012, by a different mechanic. The pilot reported the airplane had accumulated 1 hour between the landing gear maintenance and the accident flight.
Wreckage Examination
About 10 days after the accident, the airplane was moved and examined in a maintenance hangar by an FAA inspector and an aircraft mechanic. When raised on jacks, the right main landing gear (RMLG) free fell into the fully extended and locked position without intervention. The left main landing gear (LMLG) would not lock into its extended position by freefall or with hydraulic power; it locked when a screwdriver was used to "pull" the downlock mechanism. No further investigation of the LMLG was conducted because no collapse was reported by the pilot.
The NLG damage precluded operational evaluation. The fractured NLG components were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, which determined all failures were due to tensile overload with no pre-existing material deficiencies or mechanical failures.
Previous Cessna 177 Landing Gear Problems
According to the 1991 edition of Aviation Consumer Used Aircraft Guide, the 1971 and 1972 model years of the Cessna 177RG were "plagued" by landing gear problems, primarily with the main gear downlocks. No problems with the airplane's steering system were cited.