Cessna T-R182RG accident near Englewood, Colorado, April 22, 2006
On April 22, 2006 at about 3:10 am local time, a Cessna T-R182RG, registered N6170S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial 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
the pilot inadvertently retracting the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2006 · about 3:10 am local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-R182RG
- Registration
- N6170S · registry record · serial TR18201637
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed and, according to the pilot, he may have "possibly inadvertently hit the gear handle." The nose gear retracted and the airplane skidded down the centerline before drifting off the left side and sliding another 300 feet. The left main landing gear then retracted. In addition to a broken left wing tip fairing, scraped landing gear doors, a crushed exhaust manifold, and a bent propeller, there was structural damage to the nose wheel tunnel. According to the manufacturer, the airplane was equipped with a "squat switch" that senses weight-on-wheels and prevents inadvertent landing gear retraction. The spokesman said there were several reasons why the landing gear may have retracted: a defective squat switch, an over-inflated nose gear strut (that would cause the electrical contacts of the squat switch to separate), misrigging of the squat switch, or the airplane may have bounced, allowing the electrical contacts to separate. According to the repair facility that retrieved the airplane, the squat switch was functionally tested and it operated satisfactorily.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 52 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,483 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,808 as pilot in command; 690 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,608 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 1:30 am
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17L, 10,002 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from APA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.