What happened
On November 7, 2014, at 17:30 MST, a Cessna 210B, registration N9578X, departed from Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport in Bullhead City, Arizona. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot moved the landing gear handle to the up position and heard a loud bang. Following this sound, the landing gear indication lights failed to illuminate, and the pilot noted that the flaps were also inoperative.
After cycling the landing gear handle with no success, the pilot performed a low pass, during which the tower controller informed the crew that the landing gear was in a transit position, neither retracted nor locked down. The pilot attempted the emergency gear extension procedure, but the gear failed to extend. During the subsequent landing, the gear collapsed completely. The aircraft slid to a stop on its belly and tipped to the left, resulting in substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. There were no injuries to the pilot or the three passengers.
The investigation
An examination of the landing gear actuator by an airframe and powerplant mechanic revealed that the actuator housing had split. This failure caused a loss of pressure within the hydraulic system. No further examination was performed to identify the specific cause of the housing failure.