History of Flight
On December 29, 2017, about 2030 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 210J, registration N222AT, experienced a left main landing gear collapse while landing at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) in San Bernardino, California. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The aircraft was registered to Sierra 1 Tech Inc., San Bernardino, California, and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Chino Airport (CNO), Chino, California, about 1915.
According to the pilot, he had picked up the airplane from a maintenance facility to return it to its base at SBD. Lock actuator seals were on order, and he intended to bring the airplane back when the seals arrived the following week. During approach to SBD, the pilot lowered the landing gear and noticed that the left main gear was not fully extended. He informed the tower controller. Despite multiple attempts, he was unable to hydraulically or manually extend the gear to the down-and-locked position. On touchdown, the left main gear collapsed, and the left horizontal stabilizer struck the ground. The airplane then spun left and skidded to a stop on the runway.
Maintenance History
The mechanic at the maintenance facility reported that the airplane had been there for two days during the last week of December. The annual inspection was nearly complete except for inspecting the landing gear and fixing hydraulic leaks. The mechanic had informed the pilot that new seals needed to be ordered, and the annual inspection was placed on hold. The airplane remained on jacks with access panels removed. On December 29, around noon, the pilot arrived and said he needed the airplane that day. The mechanic explained the inspection was not finished and he would not sign the airplane off as airworthy. The mechanic left for lunch; upon return, the pilot had reinstalled the panels, removed the jacks, and was attempting to start the engine. The pilot insisted on taking the airplane, started the engine, taxied out, and took off.
The mechanic further reported that on January 3, 2018, the pilot returned and asked for the annual inspection signoff, stating that SBD airport personnel required proof of an annual inspection before he could taxi. The pilot said he would bring the airplane back after receiving the signoff. The mechanic complied, providing an annual inspection signoff dated January 3, 2018, because the pilot stated he had performed landings and checks and found the airplane safe to fly back. The mechanic learned of the December 29 accident later that week.
Aircraft Information
A review of airframe maintenance records showed that an annual inspection was completed on September 16, 2016, at a total time of 4,550.65 hours. The entry indicated compliance with Airworthiness Directive (AD) 76-14-07 regarding gear saddles. A separate lined piece of paper contained three stamped statements, each dated January 3, 2018, stating that the aircraft, engine, and propeller had been inspected in accordance with an annual inspection and were in airworthy condition. No tach time was listed, and no entries indicated AD compliance.
Postaccident Examination
The left main landing gear saddle assembly (part number 1241423-1) was removed and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for metallurgical examination. According to the engineer's factual report, the fracture surfaces exhibited features consistent with fatigue.
Airworthiness Directive Compliance
Amendment 39-5124 (AD 76-14-07 R2) requires inspection of main landing gear saddles on Cessna 210 models for cracks using dye penetrant procedures every 25 hours. Cracked saddles must be replaced before further flight. The AD also mandated replacement of saddles with improved ones of the same part number by April 1, 1977. The airplane's AD compliance log indicated that new saddles (part numbers 1241423-1 and 1241423-2) were installed on April 1, 1977, at 2,860.7 hours. The last AD compliance was on September 16, 2016, at 4,550.65 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total time of 4,808.97 hours, meaning the saddles had been in service for 1,948.27 hours.