CEN16LA356

Factual narrative

On August 5, 2016, about 1700 central daylight time, a Cessna P210N airplane, N323DC, was substantially damaged when the landing gear collapsed during landing on runway 19 (7,107 feet by 150 feet, concrete) at the Waco Regional Airport (ACT), Waco, Texas. The pilot and four passengers onboard were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) about 1630. The intended destination was the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas.The pilot reported that the airplane electrical system began to indicate a discharge condition during cruise flight. He elected to divert to ACT. The wing flaps and landing gear were lowered before the airplane lost electrical power completely. Landing gear extension seemed to be normal, which included a green down position indicator light and visual verification of the landing gear in the extended position. He executed an uneventful visual approach and landing touchdown. However, after touching down, the landing gear collapsed. The airplane subsequently departed the left side of the runway before coming to rest. A postaccident examination of the aircraft electrical system revealed that the alternator was not functioning properly and the voltage regulator was inoperative. Examination of the landing gear system revealed that the right main landing gear down lock mechanism had failed. None of the components were provided to the NTSB for further examination, which precluded any determination of the root cause of the failures. The alternator was repaired and the voltage regulator was replaced. The landing gear down lock mechanism was repaired. The airplane was subsequently returned to service and no further anomalies were reported to the NTSB. The airline transport pilot reported that the electrical system began to indicate a discharge condition during cruise flight and that he chose to divert to an intermediate airport. He lowered the wing flaps and landing gear, and then the airplane lost total electrical power. Landing gear extension seemed to be normal, which included a green down position indicator light and visual verification of the landing gear in the extended position. The pilot then conducted a visual approach to landing, and after landing, the right main landing gear (MLG) collapsed, which resulted in a runway excursion. A postaccident examination of the electrical system revealed that the alternator was not functioning properly and that the voltage regulator was inoperative, which precipitated the diverted landing. Examination of the landing gear system revealed that the right MLG down-lock mechanism had failed. None of the components were provided to the National Transportation Safety Board for further examination, which precluded a determination of the root cause of the failure of the right MLG down-lock mechanism. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Failure - C
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Electrical power system-DC generator-alternator-Failure
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Electrical power system-DC regulator-Failure