Cessna 172RG accident near Redmond, Oregon, January 18, 2013
On January 18, 2013 at about 1:40 am local time, a 1980 Cessna 172RG, registered N6290V, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Redmond, Oregon (Roberts Field). 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
Failure of the left main landing gear pivot assembly during the landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2013 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Redmond, Oregon · Roberts Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG, built 1980 · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6290V · registry record · serial 172RG0610
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing approach, the flight instructor and pilot undergoing instruction were unable to fully extend or retract the left main landing gear and, after multiple unsuccessful troubleshooting attempts, performed a gear-up landing. Postaccident examination revealed that the pivot assembly for the left main landing gear actuator had fractured and had separation features consistent with torsional fatigue. The Federal Aviation Administration previously issued an airworthiness directive (AD), which included an inspection of pivot assemblies for cracks, in accordance with a manufacturer's service bulletin (SB). The AD called for repetitive inspections of the pivot assembly if the airplane experienced a hard landing, and the SB recommended, in small print, full recompliance after a hard landing. The SB was complied with 12 years and 2,730 flight hours before the accident. The airplane was subsequently involved in a hard landing, and a reinspection was conducted; however, recompliance with the entire SB was not achieved as recommended in the SB, and the pivot failed 894 flight hours after the hard 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 approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Landing gear not configured during landing
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 843 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 213 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 742 as pilot in command; 421 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 14, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 897 hours in all; 57 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,274 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2013; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,658 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 6,812 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBND Bend OH at 11:15 pm
- Destination: RDM Redmond OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 7,006 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from KRDM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.