What happened
On July 3, 2015, a Cessna T2/210N, registration PR-DVR, was performing a private flight from Ulianópolis (SIAW) to Belém (SBJC), Brazil. During the landing roll at Belém, the right main landing gear retracted, causing the aircraft to yaw to the right and veer off the runway into a grassy area adjacent to the pavement.
The pilot and one passenger were on board; the pilot remained uninjured, and the aircraft sustained light damage. At the time of the incident, the runway was dry and clean, and meteorological conditions were favorable for visual flight.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the hydraulic system failure and the sequence of gear deployment. The pilot had identified a hydraulic leak two days prior to the accident. Despite this, the aircraft had flown a previous leg from Porto de Moz (SWQY) to Ulianópolis (SIAW) with the gear in the down and locked position. The flight to Belém was intended to transport the owner and subsequently deliver the aircraft to a maintenance organization to repair the leak.
During the flight to Belém, the pilot had deactivated the hydraulic pump (power pack) via a circuit breaker on the left side panel. Post-accident inspection at a maintenance facility revealed a crack in a hydraulic line (Tube Assy, P/N 1280523-10) near its flange, which caused a loss of pressure. Investigators determined that the right main gear lock actuator failed to fully extend because the hydraulic leak prevented sufficient system pressurization.
It is suspected that the pilot may have cycled the landing gear lever to the up position during the takeoff from SIAW—a standard procedure—and then returned it to the down position. Because the hydraulic pressure was insufficient due to the leak, the gear failed to lock into the down position, even though the cockpit indicator light had previously indicated the gear was down.