Incident Overview
On October 31, 2016, at about 1620 eastern daylight time, a Cessna TR182 (registration N4657S) was substantially damaged when the main landing gear collapsed while landing at Watertown International Airport (ART) in Watertown, New York. The commercial pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Massena International Airport (MSS) and was conducted under visual meteorological conditions as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was filed.
Landing Sequence
The pilot reported observing a green light before landing, indicating the landing gear were down. During the landing roll on runway 28, the right main landing gear collapsed, followed by the left main landing gear. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, elevator, and right horizontal stabilizer.
Maintenance History
A review of maintenance records showed that both down lock switches on the main landing gear had been replaced approximately 29 flight hours (about 5 months) before the accident. After replacement, the aircraft was placed on jacks and the landing gear system was tested, with all checks reported as normal.
Postaccident Examination
Following the accident, the airplane was placed on jacks to inspect the landing gear system. The landing gear was cycled normally several times, and the emergency extension system was also checked; all operations were satisfactory. The landing gear warning horn was found inoperative due to a failure of the cabin speaker.
Examination of the electrical system revealed that the circuit breaker for the electrically-driven hydraulic power pack had popped. Further investigation determined that the landing gear solenoid would intermittently stick in the closed position, causing the power pack motor to continue running without shutting off, which tripped the circuit breaker. Replacing the solenoid corrected the problem.
Additional Information
The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming O-540 series, 235-horsepower engine. It had accumulated about 61 hours since its most recent annual inspection on November 17, 2015. The pilot reported 2,490 hours of total flight experience, including 63 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
At 1556, the weather conditions at ART were: wind variable at 5 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition: broken at 3,500 feet; temperature 6°C; dew point -2°C; and a barometric altimeter setting of 30.26 inches of mercury.