Incident
On July 17, 2015, at approximately 1545 central daylight time, a Cessna 172RG airplane, registration N6511V, experienced a gear-up landing at Anoka County-Blaine Airport (KANE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The aircraft was substantially damaged during the event, but the flight instructor and the commercial pilot receiving instruction were not injured.
Flight Details
The airplane was registered to Kilo Delta LLC and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. The flight originated from KANA about 1500. According to the pilot, after conducting a landing at another airport, they taxied and departed. During the departure roll, when the commercial pilot retracted the landing gear, a loud "clang" sound was heard emanating from the vicinity of the left main landing gear.
Landing Gear Malfunction
The crew subsequently lowered the landing gear but found that the left main landing gear would not extend. They attempted both normal and emergency extension procedures, yet were unable to achieve full extension. As a result, they decided to perform a gear-up landing at KANE.
Damage and Examination
An examination of the airplane revealed damage to the bulkhead and a fractured left landing gear actuator. The operator was contacted multiple times in an effort to obtain the broken actuator for detailed examination, but those attempts were unsuccessful. Consequently, a thorough analysis of the actuator could not be performed.