What happened
On 24 June 2001, a Cessna C210, registration ZS-MSR, was conducting a private flight from a farm strip located near Fisantekraal toward De Aar. The flight was operating under clear meteorological conditions with no cloud cover and light winds. Upon arriving at De Aar, the pilot performed a landing on the gravel runway 03, utilizing full flaps for the approach.
Following the touchdown, the aircraft traveled approximately 600 meters along the runway. During the landing roll, the pilot mistakenly attempted to retract the flaps but instead engaged the landing gear retraction mechanism. This error resulted in the immediate collapse of the nose landing gear.
The investigation
Due to the nature of the event, no on-site investigation was conducted at the accident site. However, the investigation reviewed the pilot's credentials and the aircraft's maintenance history. The pilot held a valid private pilot license and a medical certificate that was current at the time of the incident. Documentation indicated that the Cessna C210 had been properly maintained, with only 13 flight hours recorded since its last maintenance inspection in April 2001.
One technical point of interest was the behavior of the aircraft's squat switch. Under normal operating conditions, this switch should prevent the landing gear from retracting while the aircraft is on the ground. In this instance, the gear retracted despite the aircraft being in contact with the runway, though the specific reason for this mechanical bypass could not be determined without a physical inspection of the wreckage.
Findings
- The primary cause of the nose gear collapse was the pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing roll.
- The pilot intended to retract the flaps but mistakenly operated the gear lever.
- The aircraft's squat switch failed to inhibit the gear retraction sequence while the weight of the aircraft was on the wheels.