Landing gear failure during touchdown at Rand Airport

Casualties unknown • On runway 29 at Rand Airport, ZA

A Cessna 210M experienced a landing gear collapse and subsequent excursion after a hard landing at Rand Airport.

What happened

On 21 August 2016, a Cessna 210M, registration ZS-KEC, was performing a Part 135 flight from Grand Central airport to Rand airport. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules, and the pilot was the sole occupant on board. Upon arrival at Rand airport, the pilot was cleared by air traffic control to land on runway 29.

Prior to touchdown, the pilot performed the standard pre-landing checklist and confirmed the landing gear was down and locked via both cockpit indicators and external visual inspections. However, just before the aircraft made contact with the runway, a stall warning horn activated. As the pilot attempted to decelerate during the landing roll, the nose landing gear broke to the left and the right main landing gear collapsed. This caused the aircraft to veer off the right side of the runway, where the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer struck the ground. The pilot exited the aircraft without injury.

The investigation

An investigation by the SACAA AIID examined the mechanical state of the aircraft and the circumstances of the touchdown. Technical inspections of the landing gear retraction and extension system, performed by an approved maintenance organization, confirmed that the gear system was in satisfactory working order. The investigation focused on the physical forces applied to the airframe during the landing sequence.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by a hard landing and poor landing technique, which resulted in the structural failure of the nose gear and the collapse of the right main landing gear.

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Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2016-08-21 Cessna 210 accident near On runway 29 at Rand Airport, ZA?

A Cessna 210M experienced a landing gear collapse and subsequent excursion after a hard landing at Rand Airport.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2016-08-21 involved a Cessna 210, registration ZS-KEC, at On runway 29 at Rand Airport, ZA.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident was caused by a hard landing and poor landing technique, which resulted in the structural failure of the nose gear and the collapse of the right main landing gear.

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