Incident Details
On June 16, 2013, at approximately 1140 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T210L (registration N94086) executed a landing with its landing gear only partially extended at Fresno Yosemite International Airport in Fresno, California. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight had originated from Fowler, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that after takeoff, he was unable to fully retract the landing gear. He attempted to correct the situation and tried to manually extend the landing gear by following the manual extension procedures, but these efforts were unsuccessful. The pilot elected to divert to the accident airport and land with the landing gear partially extended. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, left aileron, left horizontal stabilizer, and elevator.
Post-Accident Examination
Following the accident, an examination of the landing gear systems revealed that the components were intact except for a lack of hydraulic fluid. When the system was filled with hydraulic fluid, the landing gear still would not extend using the electric pump. The manual extension system also failed to extend the gear. A leak in the nose landing gear actuator rod seal was observed. Maintenance personnel indicated that the fluid leak prevented the hydraulic system from building up enough pressure to extend, retract, and lock the gear.
Further examination of the underside of the airplane found a film of sticky fluid running from the nose landing gear wheel well to the tail of the airplane. Additionally, drops of hydraulic fluid were noted on several antennas on the bottom of the airplane. The nose gear actuator has no requirement for overhaul or reseal and is considered "on condition."