Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

March 20, 2017 · Cessna 172RG NO Series · N6402V

Greeley, CO

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Incident
Date
March 20, 2017
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (1 uninjured)
Location
Greeley, CO
Aircraft
Cessna 172RG NO Series (1980)
Tail Number
N6402V
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Minor
NTSB Number
CEN17IA155

At the end of a cross-country flight, the commercial pilot noted that the left main landing gear would not extend. He elected to divert to another airport and land with the gear retracted. Postaccident examination revealed that the left main landing gear actuator assembly housing was cracked across the forward attach bolt hole, which resulted in the inability to fully raise or extend the landing gear using either the normal method or the emergency hand pump. Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration released a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) emphasizing the importance of inspecting main landing gear actuator assemblies. This SAIB recommended complying with a supplemental inspection document provided by the manufacturer that prescribed a combination of visual, fluorescent penetrant, and eddy current inspections. The SAIB also included initial and repetitive inspection intervals.

NTSB Probable Cause

Failure of the left main landing gear actuator assembly, which resulted in an inability to extend the left main landing gear.

Full Narrative

On March 20, 2016, at 1646 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172RG airplane, N6402V, landed gear up following a landing gear malfunction at Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY), Greeley, Colorado. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained minor damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Northern Skies Aviation Inc. under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the incident. The flight departed at 1330 without a flight plan from Gillette-Campbell County Airport (GCC), Gillette, Wyoming, with a planned destination of Colorado Plains Regional Airport (AKO), Akron, Colorado.According to the pilot, he diverted to GXY after the left landing gear did not extend during arrival to AKO. Following unsuccessful attempts to extend the landing gear, the pilot elected to land gear up at GXY. Examination by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors revealed the left main landing gear actuator assembly (part number 9882015-2) housing was cracked across the forward attach bolt hole. The crack allowed the actuator bore to open enough such that the piston would not engage the landing gear pivot sector sufficiently for gear extension. This failure mode resulted in the inability to fully raise or extend the landing gear, either in the normal method or with the emergency hand pump. The airplane's main landing gear was subject to FAA airworthiness directive (AD) 2001-06-06, which required inspection for cracks in landing gear pivot assemblies. This AD was accomplished for the airplane on May 25, 2001. For this incident, a crack was observed in the landing gear actuator assembly, which mates with the landing gear pivot assembly. The failed landing gear actuator assembly was originally installed with the airplane, which had a total time of 6490.1 hours. To address the need for initial and repetitive inspections of the landing gear actuator assembly, the FAA published maintenance alerts in prior years and Textron published service bulletins in 2001 and 2007. Following this incident, the FAA released Special Information Airworthiness Bulletin (SAIB) CE-17-16 for Cessna 172RG, R182, TR182, FR182, and 210/T210/P210-series airplanes. The SAIB emphasized the importance of inspecting main landing gear actuator assemblies and recommended complying with Textron supplemental inspection document (SID) 32-10-01, which directs a combination of visual, fluorescent penetrant, and eddy current inspections, depending on the airplane model. The SAIB included initial and repetitive inspection intervals, as well as recommending an inspection after an unplanned event, such as a hard landing.

Flight

Event TypeIncident
Event Time16:46 MDT
Nearest AirportGreeley-Weld County (1nm SSW)
Runway35
Runway Length10000 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftCessna 172RG NO Series
Tail NumberN6402V
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageMinor
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · O&VO-360 SER · Reciprocating · 180
Seats4

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (1 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured1
Total1
Crew 1Age 31 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
WindCalm
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point27 C
Altimeter30.04 inHg
Observation Time22:56
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data