Incident Overview
On November 27, 2022, at about 1430 central standard time, a Cessna 210 airplane, registration N9468T, was substantially damaged during an accident near Waco, Texas. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot and two passengers were not injured.
Gear Retraction Issue
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff the airplane felt “sluggish.” She looked out the window at the mirror on the wing and noticed the main wheels were retracted but the nose gear was partially extended. The right-seat passenger, also a pilot, confirmed the nose gear was partially extended. The pilot recycled the landing gear and all three gear wheels retracted; the flight continued to the destination. The airplane owner, seated in the rear, reported that the gear only partially came up because the pilot moved the gear handle to the neutral position before retraction was complete.
Approach and Landing
As the airplane neared the destination airport, the pilot entered the traffic pattern and lowered the landing gear. The gear-down indication light was green, indicating the gear was down and locked. The pilot and passengers confirmed the gear was down by looking at the wing mirror. The pilot turned onto final approach, reduced engine power, and lowered flaps. The right-seat passenger described the approach as “normal.” The pilot stated the airplane touched down on the main wheels followed by the nosewheel; however, upon nosewheel touchdown, the nose gear did not feel “locked into place and felt spongey.” The airplane bounced and the propeller struck the ground. The rear-seat passenger reported that the approach looked low, the pilot seemed flustered, the nose was low, and the pilot did not flare when crossing the runway threshold, causing the nosewheel to contact the runway before the main landing gear. The airplane bounced and porpoised multiple times before coming to rest upright on the runway.
Post-Accident Examination
Initially this event was classified as an incident due to the lack of reported substantial damage, and the airplane was released and sold for salvage. Several months later, the owner reported additional damage, and the airplane was examined after partial disassembly. The landing gear system was compromised and could not be functionally tested. The examination revealed substantial damage to the fuselage bulkhead because the nose landing gear retract arm had pulled away and separated from the bulkhead.