What happened
On May 28, 2004, a Cessna 182 RG, registration D-EGUT, was arriving at Marseille-Provence Airport from Dijon-Longvic. While approaching runway 32 left into a tailwind, the pilot noticed that the green nose gear indicator light was flashing. Uncertain if the gear had fully deployed, the pilot cycled the landing gear lever multiple times, retracting and extending the gear in an attempt to resolve the indication.
Due to continued uncertainty regarding the light's reliability, the pilot deactivated the electrical circuit breaker, effectively cutting power to the landing gear position lights. The pilot then manually deployed the gear and performed a visual inspection, which confirmed the main gear was extended, though the nose gear remained unobservable. During the landing roll, the pilot maintained a nose-high attitude for as long as possible. However, upon touchdown, the nose gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to slide approximately 100 meters along the runway before coming to a stop. There were no fatalities among the two occupants.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the nose gear assembly. Examination of the nose gear revealed that both locking pins had suffered fatigue failure. These pins possessed excessive lateral play, which prevented the extension piston from completing its full stroke, thereby obstructing the full deployment of the gear.
Findings
- The primary cause of the gear collapse was the fatigue failure of the two locking pins.
- The pins were found to have excessive lateral movement, which interrupted the landing gear extension sequence.
- A manufacturer's recommendation had been previously issued regarding this specific issue; Cessna had released Service Bulletin SEB 95-20 in 1995, which advised inspections every 200 flight hours or the installation of a replacement kit to eliminate the need for such inspections.