Cessna 210 accident near Juneau, Alaska, January 14, 2018
On January 14, 2018 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 1962 Cessna 210, registered N3607Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) 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 fatigue failure of the right main landing gear hydraulic actuator, which resulted in the pilot's inability to fully extend the landing gear and a main landing gear collapse during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 2018 · about 11:45 pm local time
- 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 C, 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 pilot extended the landing gear as the airplane neared the destination airport. The nose gear fully extended and locked into place, but the left and right main landing gear only partially extended. The pilot attempted to manually extend the main landing gear; however, all hydraulic pressure was lost and the gear did not extend fully. He subsequently landed the airplane, during which the main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and horizontal stabilizer. Examination of the hydraulic system revealed that the right main landing gear hydraulic actuator was fractured about the barrel section adjacent to the end cap. A fracture at the retainer clip groove exhibited striations consistent with fatigue crack propagation, and other fractures through the barrel exhibited signatures of overstress failure. It is likely that, once the fatigue crack grew to a significant depth, the housing cracked further from overstress and hydraulic fluid leaked out of the system, preventing the landing gear from descending properly. The airplane experienced a landing gear collapse accident three years prior that was caused by the left landing gear actuator failure due to a fatigue crack at the retainer ring recess, similar to this accident. The manufacturer had previously issued instructions for modification of some landing gear hydraulic actuators installed on the accident airplane make and model, and a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive (AD) was subsequently issued to mandate the modifications. The manufacturer had also issued a service letter for enhanced inspection of the landing gear actuators. The maintenance records available were insufficient to determine whether the accident airplane had been maintained in accordance with the AD and manufacturer instructions.
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 (landing roll) defining event
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Hydraulic fluid › Fluid level
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 12,950 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 8, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,376 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,998 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNH Hoonah AK at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 8,857 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on March 12, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.