History of Flight
On 16 February 2010, a Cessna 177 RG (registration ZS‑MRD) departed Lanseria Aerodrome (FALA) on a private flight to Heidelberg Aerodrome (FAHG). During the approach to Heidelberg, the landing gear failed to extend. The pilot decided to return to Lanseria. After reporting the problem to air traffic control, he contacted the aircraft maintenance organisation (AMO) responsible for the aircraft and attempted several techniques—including low‑G manoeuvres—to extend the gear, all unsuccessful. The pilot stated that because he was flying solo, it was impossible to operate the manual gear extension system. He then executed a wheels‑up landing on runway 06 Right. The aircraft skidded approximately 100 m before stopping.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 177 RG (serial number 177RG‑1228) was manufactured in 1977 and had accumulated 2,008.1 total airframe hours at the time of the accident. Its last major periodic inspection (MPI) was performed on 23 November 2009 at 2,006.8 hours. The aircraft was equipped with a Lycoming IO‑360‑AIB6D engine and a Hartzell HC‑C3YR‑1RF propeller. The maintenance records showed that the undercarriage inspection had been carried out according to the Cessna service manual.
Damage
The propeller tips were bent, and the lower fuselage antenna and belly sheet metal sustained minor damage. There was no evidence of fire, and the cockpit area remained largely intact.
Investigation and Tests
After the accident, the aircraft was lifted with air bags. Investigators found that the main landing gear could be pulled down by hand until it locked. Further inspection revealed that the eye‑end rod of the main gear hydraulic actuator had broken off from its ball joint. The rod‑end was submitted to a metallurgist. The fracture surface indicated ductile overload, which investigators believed resulted from dynamic overload when the aircraft had landed on a previous occasion without the undercarriage being fully extended. The threaded half of the fracture surface showed severe battering, supporting that conclusion. An attempt to determine why the gear failed to deploy fully to the down‑and‑locked position was made, but no cause was found for the incomplete deployment.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause is the pilot's failure to manually extend the landing gear following the main system failure.