Cessna 182R accident near Renton, Washington, January 28, 2001
On January 28, 2001 at about 11:41 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N7568T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Renton, Washington (Renton Municipal 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 worn condition of the hydraulic pump gears which resulted in a continuous running pump, subsequent pump motor overheat and eventually the tripping of the pump motor circuit breaker. An additional cause was the pilot's failure to verify that the landing gear were down and locked. A contributing factor was a partially blocked green annunciator light.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 2001 · about 11:41 pm local time
- Place
- Renton, Washington · Renton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N7568T · registry record · serial R1820039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed Olympia in the Cessna 182R en route to Renton, Washington. Shortly after departure he smelled a "faint odor of electrical insulation" but observed no anomalies. Upon arrival at Renton, he lowered the landing gear, and during the landing roll the main landing gear collapsed. Post-crash examination of the aircraft revealed that the hydraulic power pack had worn gears within the pump assembly. This condition would allow the electrically driven pump to operate for longer than normal periods of time and ultimately resulted in the pump overheating and its associated circuit breaker tripping during the flight. Additionally, the green landing gear "down and locked" annunciator light's manual iris was found to be open only 1/16 of an inch. With the iris stopped down to near total closure the pilot would have been unable to see the green light had it been illuminated. With the electrically driven pump out of service due to the tripped circuit breaker, the gear would not have hydraulic pressure to lock into the down position and complete the circuit thus illuminating the green light, and the pilot failed to verify a down an locked condition other than placing the gear handle in the down position.
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
- Flight time: 194 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 110 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 26, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,716 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 2000; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OLM Olympia WA at 11:05 pm
- Destination: RNT Renton WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 5,370 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from RNT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N7568T 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.