Cessna 172RG accident near Lafayette, Indiana, September 21, 2020
On September 21, 2020 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna 172RG, registered N6330V, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lafayette, Indiana (Purdue University Airport). It was an instructional 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
The separation failure of a landing gear system hydraulic line and its compression fitting during cruise flight, which resulted in a partial gear up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2020 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Indiana · Purdue University Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG No Series, built 1968 · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6330V · registry record · serial 172RG0628
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) and student were airborne for about 10 minutes, in straight and level flight, when they heard and felt a “clunk” followed by the sound of the landing gear pump running continuously. They attempted to lower the landing gear and it did not come down. They subsequently smelled a burning odor, which was assessed to be from the landing gear pump, so they pulled the landing gear circuit breaker. They followed the landing gear manual extension checklist and troubleshot the problem, but there was no pressure in the manual pump and the landing gear would not extend. The CFI then performed a low pass over the runway and tower personnel advised that the nose gear appeared down and both main landing gear appeared partially extended. The CFI then performed a gear up landing during which the left main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer spars and the rear bulkhead. The CFI surmised that the right main landing gear locked down during the flare. The wreckage was examined, and the nose gear up hydraulic line was found failed. The line had separated from the compression fitting on one end, which resulted in a loss of hydraulic fluid. The manual pump in the landing gear system utilizes the same landing gear hydraulics as the normal extension system, so the loss of hydraulic fluid rendered it inoperable and made it unlikely for all the landing gear to extend and lock down. The failed hydraulic line was installed in the airplane in May, 1993, and had 6,776.2 total hours since installation. The failed hydraulic line was replaced, the airplane was placed on jacks, and the landing gear was swung and functionally tested using both the normal extension/retraction procedures and the manual/emergency extension procedures. The gear operated normally with each procedure and no additional failures or leaks were noted.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Inoperative
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,415 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 560 in the last 90 days; 106 in the last 30 days; 1,314 as pilot in command; 1,019 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 31, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 186 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 157 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,041 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 8,039 hours total
- Operator: Purdue Aviation Llc
The flight
- Departed from: KLAF Lafayette IN at 5:20 pm
- Runway 10, 6,600 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 26.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from KLAF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on August 16, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - CFI | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Maintenance | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation - Student | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 3 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.