Cessna R182 accident near Lake City, Florida, May 16, 2016
On May 16, 2016 at about 3:06 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna R182, registered N9077C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lake City, Florida (Lake City Gateway 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Internal failure of the main electrical contactor, which resulted in a complete loss of electrical power and an inability to extend the landing gear through normal means.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2016 · about 3:06 pm local time
- Place
- Lake City, Florida · Lake City Gateway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 NO SERIES, built 1978 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N9077C · registry record · serial R18200388
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot stated that, while on a cross-country flight, he noted that the airplane was losing electrical power and decided to make a precautionary landing. The pilot attempted to extend the landing gear and advised air traffic control of the emergency before all electrical power was lost. Since electrical power was lost before the landing gear extension cycle completed, he was unable to verify that the landing gear was down and locked in place, as the gear position indicator light would not illuminate due to the loss of electrical power. The pilot also referenced the manufacturer's emergency checklist for "Landing Without a Positive Indication of Gear Locking" and visually confirmed that the gear appeared to be fully extended. Upon touching down on the runway, the main landing gear collapsed, and the nose gear remained extended. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the cause of the electrical power failure was the main electrical contactor, which had shorted out internally and burned. The part was original to the airplane and had accrued about 3,235 total hours. The landing gear was extended and retracted by hydraulic actuators operated by an electrically-driven hydraulic pump. It is likely that, when the pilot moved the landing gear selector to the down position, the extension cycle did not complete due to the loss of electrical power, resulting in insufficient hydraulic pressure to fully extend and lock the gear. The airplane was equipped with an emergency gear extension handle that would have allowed the pilot to manually complete the extension; however, the checklist that the pilot used did not instruct the pilot to manually lower and lock the gear. If the checklist had included the use of the emergency landing gear extension procedure, the pilot would likely have been able to manually increase hydraulic pressure in the system and avoid a gear collapse on landing.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › AC power distribution system › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 369 hours in all; 272 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 303 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 30, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,235.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 2016; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 3,235 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGD Punta Gorda FL at 1:45 pm
- Destination: PDK Chamblee GA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 8,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from LCQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA16LA190.