Date:	Monday 9 February 2004
Time:	15:35
Type:	Cessna F177RG Cardinal RG
Owner/operator:	Trustee of the G-TOTO Flying Group
Registration:	G-TOTO
MSN:	F177RG-0049
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Meppershall Airfield, Shefford, Bedfordshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	Denham Airport (EGLD)
Destination airport:	Meppershall Airfield, Shefford, Bedfordshire
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Cessna F177RG Cardinal, G-TOTO; Damaged in a landing accident due to problems with the landing gear retraction, Meppershall Airfield, Shefford, Bedfordshire 9 February 2004. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"Twenty-three days prior to the accident it was twice noted upon landing gear up selection following takeoff that the landing gear failed to retract fully. In each case following recycling of the landing gear selector the landing gear retracted. Fifteen days prior to the accident it was found that the landing gear would not retract fully and the fault persisted after recycling the landing gear selector.

On the day of the accident the aircraft was flown to a maintenance organisation for rectification of the problem with the landing gear extended and the electric circuit breaker for the landing gear's electrical hydraulic pump 'pulled'.

The accident flight to the grass airfield where the maintenance organisation was based was uneventful. On final approach the speed was reduced to 75 mph and 30 degrees of flap selected with the landing flare being carried out at 65 mph. The pilot assessed the aircraft’s touchdown as ‘a greaser’ and held the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible. As the aircraft decelerated the nose dropped and the propeller struck the ground. The nose landing gear pivots were badly worn, the over-centre down-lock was out of adjustment, the breakout force virtually non-existent, and with the electrical hydraulic pump switched off there was no residual hydraulic pressure in the down lines and the landing was on a grass airfield.

Both main landing gear down-lock latch pivot pins had double fatigue and the left one had failed which was the reason for the original landing gear problem

-Damage to airframe=
Per the AAIB Report "Engine shock loaded. Propeller, nose landing gear doors and exhaust pipe damaged"

=FOLLOW UP ACTION=
The two Safety Recommendations, made by the AAIB following their investigation, are reproduced below:

Recommendation 2005-32
It was recommended to the Cessna Aircraft Company that the Cessna 177RG Maintenance/Service documentation should specify to owners, operators and maintainers that whenever a mechanical failure is found in any part of a main landing gear assembly, the corresponding main landing gear assembly should be examined for a potential similar failure.

Recommendation 2005-56
It was recommended to the Cessna Aircraft Company that consideration be given to making available to owners and operators of Cessna 177RG Cardinal aircraft a Service Kit that will enable them to upgrade their aircraft's landing gear extension/retraction system to the standard fitted to aircraft serial number 0283 onwards.

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f9d840f0b613460007f5/Cessna_F177RG_Cardinal__G-TOTO.pdf
2. CAA Safety Action: https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/13021
3. History as G-AZKH 1971-1982: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AZKH.pdf
4. History as G-OADE 1982-1985: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-OADE.pdf
5. Later incident on 14 December 2016: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/587dfc20e5274a1303000154/Cessna_F177RG_Cardinal_RG_G-TOTO_02-17.pdf
6. https://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Meppershall
7. https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/meppershall/

Cessna F177RG Cardinal RG G-TOTO was built in 1972, having already been UK registered in advance as G-AZKH on December 8 1971. After passing through the hands of four owners as G-AZKH, the aircraft was re-registered on 20 May 1982 as G-OADE. After four further owners as G-OADE, the aircraft was re-registered for the third time, this time as G-TOTO, on 29 August 1989. As G-TOTO, the aircraft has had six consecutive owners from 1999 to 2017, the most recent from 4 July 2017, some six months after the above accident.

In July 1979 the aircraft was involved in a take-off accident which resulted in damage to the propeller, engine, nose and left main landing gears, and lower fuselage skin (see AAIB Bulletin 10/79). Following repair in May 1982 the aircraft was re-registered G-OADE. In April 1983 when the landing gear was selected down, no landing gear down and locked green light illuminated in the cockpit. The emergency landing gear lowering system was operated (a hydraulic hand pump) but there was still no \\\'down and locked\\\' indication. A visual examination from the ground indicated that the landing gear was fully extended. A successful landing was carried out whilst operating the hydraulic pump throughout. An engineering examination revealed that the right main landing gear down-lock latch pivot pin had failed in fatigue.

In April 1986 the aircraft was involved in a forced landing accident which resulted in damage to the propeller, nose and left main landing gears, and fuselage (see AAIB Bulletin 10/86). In August 1989 the aircraft was re-registered G-TOTO. In 2002 the aircraft had three maintenance checks carried out. During the first of these checks, at 909 airframe hours, the right main landing gear down-lock assembly was replaced. Due to the turnaround in staff and the lack of detail in the paperwork raised by a previous maintenance organisation, which was not located at the accident airfield, the reason for this replacement is not known.

During the second check, at 956 airframe hours, the left main landing gear down-lock microswitch actuating arm was replaced and during the third check, at 981 airframe hours, the main landing gear was re-rigged.

G-TOTO was involved in another landing accident, this time at Denham, Buckinghamshire on 14 December 2016 (see separate entry)

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

14 December 2016

G-TOTO

Trustee of the G-TOTO Flying Group

0

Denham Aerodrome, Gerrards Cross, near Denham, Buckinghamshire

sub

Cessna F177RG Cardinal RG G-TOTO at Denham, Buckinghamshire (EGLD) March 25 2016

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Apr-2024 14:53	Dr. John Smith	Added
09-Apr-2024 14:54	ASN	Updated [Embed code, Accident report]