Cessna 172RG incident near Greeley, Colorado, March 20, 2017
On March 20, 2017 at about 10:46 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 172RG, registered N6402V, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing near Greeley, Colorado (Greeley-Weld County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the left main landing gear actuator assembly, which resulted in an inability to extend the left main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2017 · about 10:46 pm local time
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · Greeley-Weld County · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG NO SERIES, built 1980 · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6402V · registry record · serial 172RG0664
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the end of a cross-country flight, the commercial pilot noted that the left main landing gear would not extend. He elected to divert to another airport and land with the gear retracted. Postaccident examination revealed that the left main landing gear actuator assembly housing was cracked across the forward attach bolt hole, which resulted in the inability to fully raise or extend the landing gear using either the normal method or the emergency hand pump. Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration released a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) emphasizing the importance of inspecting main landing gear actuator assemblies. This SAIB recommended complying with a supplemental inspection document provided by the manufacturer that prescribed a combination of visual, fluorescent penetrant, and eddy current inspections. The SAIB also included initial and repetitive inspection intervals.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach
- Landing gear collapse during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 293 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 193 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 19, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,490 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCC Gillette WY at 7:30 pm
- Destination: AKO Akron CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 10,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from KGXY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 14, 2017. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo of Landing Gear Actuator Housing from Accident Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Correspondence with FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Saib for Landing Gear Actuator Inspection | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.