Cessna 210 accident near Juneau, Alaska, July 12, 2015
On July 12, 2015, a 1962 Cessna 210, registered N3607Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Juneau, Alaska (Juneau Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of hydraulic fluid due to a fractured left main landing gear hydraulic actuator as a result of a fatigue crack, which led to the landing gear collapsing upon touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2015
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · Juneau Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210, built 1962 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N3607Y · registry record · serial 21058107
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. In preparation for landing at the destination airport, the pilot selected the landing gear handle to the "down" position. The nose gear fully extended and locked into place, but the left and right main landing gear extended only about halfway and then stopped. The pilot's efforts to cycle the landing gear were unsuccessful, and he subsequently conducted an emergency landing to an alternate airport, during which the landing gear collapsed upon touchdown with the runway. After the accident, the airplane was lifted with a crane and positioned in a level attitude, and hydraulic fluid was observed leaking from the bottom of the airplane. A postaccident examination of the hydraulic system revealed that the left main landing gear hydraulic actuator was fractured due to a fatigue crack that had initiated at the retaining ring recess in the housing and propagated through most of the barrel housing cross-section. Once the actuator was substantially weakened, the housing cracked further from overstress.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Hydraulic fluid › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,450 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,998 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK
- Destination: HNH Hoonah AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 8,857 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft; a few clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from PAJN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3607Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.