Cessna TR182 accident near Santa Barbara, California, June 24, 2022
On June 24, 2022 at about 2:25 am local time, a 1979 Cessna TR182, registered N738JZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Barbara, California (Santa Barbara Muni 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
A failure of the right main landing gear actuator pressure line O-ring, which resulted in a gear-up landing on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2022 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Santa Barbara, California · Santa Barbara Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182, built 1979 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N738JZ · registry record · serial R18200935
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the landing gear did not extend while on approach to a tower-controlled airport. The pilot attempted to manually extended the landing gear and made a low pass over the airport. The tower controllers described that the nose gear was down, and the main landing gear was not fully extended. The pilot declared an emergency and landed on the runway with the landing gear partially retracted. Postaccident examination of the landing gear hydraulic system revealed a leak traced to the right main landing gear actuator O-ring pressure line. The actuator pressure-side O-ring was replaced, the actuator was reinstalled, and the hydraulic system maintained hydraulic pressure with no additional anomalies. According to the airframe and powerplant mechanic, the actuator O-ring showed signs of deterioration. Evidence supports that the deteriorated actuator O-ring resulted in a failure of the landing gear hydraulic system, specifically, the right main landing gear.
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
- 550094 during descent
- 550330 during descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 216 hours in all; 30.8 in this make and model; 18.6 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 157.1 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 21, 2021
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,139.3 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, November 16, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 723 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 25, 6,052 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°C, dew point 57°C
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KSBA
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSBA 240253Z 22003KT 8SM CLR 17/14 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP107 T01720139 53001 $=
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 WPR22LA226.