Overview
On Monday morning, 13 October 2025, a pilot and three passengers aboard a Cessna 210M Centurion II aircraft with registration ZS-PEN were on a private flight from Virginia Aerodrome (FAVG) in KwaZulu-Natal province to Mkambati Airfield in Eastern Cape province. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions in accordance with Part 91 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011.
Sequence of Events
During the approach to Runway 03 at Mkambati Airfield, the pilot selected landing gear down and 10° flaps. The landing gear motor continued to operate for approximately 15 seconds after the gear stopped extending. The single green down-and-locked indication light did not illuminate, and the gear circuit breaker (CB) tripped. The pilot reset the CB and cycled the gear: retraction was normal, but extension again failed to show the green light and the CB tripped. Pilot attempted manual extension using the hand-handle, which felt stiff and immovable. After a second attempt without success, the pilot contacted an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) on the ground, who visually confirmed all three gears appeared fully extended. The pilot also checked via the left-side window.
During the landing approach with 30° flaps at 65 knots, the unsafe gear warning horn sounded. The main wheels touched down approximately 300 meters past the runway threshold. The pilot held the nose wheel off the runway with full back pressure for about 100 meters, then the nose wheel contacted, and the propeller blades struck the ground. The pilot immediately closed the throttle and mixture. The aircraft skidded with the lower engine cowling scraping the runway before stopping about 30 meters from the first point of contact. The pilot raised flaps, completed engine shutdown, and assisted passengers in disembarking. No person was injured; the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Follow-up Investigation
The recovery team found the landing gear lever in the down position, nose gear collapsed, main gears extended and locked. Hydraulic fluid was sufficient with no leaks. After lifting the aircraft and straightening the nose gear, the battery was turned on and the green down-and-locked light illuminated. No damage to nose gear down lock pins was noted. The aircraft was transported to an AMO at Wonderboom Aerodrome.
On 24 October 2025, the investigation team placed the aircraft on jacks at the AMO facility. Multiple retraction and extension checks, including inspection of the landing gear warning system, were conducted per the aircraft maintenance manual; no faults were found. The manual extension test using the hand-handle successfully extended and locked all three gears. The cause of the nose gear collapse could not be determined.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 210M Centurion II is a high-wing, single-engine aircraft with seating for up to six. It is powered by a Continental TSIO-520-R9B engine driving a three-bladed Hartzell propeller. The landing gear is hydraulically actuated, with an electrically driven pump. The aircraft had 330 litres of Avgas 100LL at departure and was operated within weight and balance limits.