The pilot, who was conducting a cross-country personal flight, reported that, after arriving at his destination and trying to ensure that the Seawind 3000 was configured for the water landing, he observed that the right main landing gear (MLG) indicator light was off and that the hydraulic pressure read 0.
He attempted to retract the right MLG several times to no avail. He chose to fly to a nearby airport with a paved runway, where the tower controller confirmed that the right MLG was extended but that the left MLG and nose landing gears were retracted.
He attempted to use the backup manual hydraulic pump and abrupt maneuvers to extend the remaining landing gear, but to no avail.
He chose to land on the runway at the airport in Renton, Washington, with the landing gear partially retracted. The airplane touched down on the runway with the right MLG first.
The pilot held the left wing off the runway as long as possible, but then the wing touched the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway surface. The airplane slid along the grass, hit an airport sign and light, spun 180°, and then came to a rest.
Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that a hydraulic leak had originated from a cracked flare in a hydraulic line fitting, which caused the hydraulic fluid to leak, decreased the hydraulic pressure to 0, and prevented the landing gear system from fully extending or retracting.
Probable cause: The failure of the landing gear system to either fully retract or extend due to a cracked hydraulic fitting flare, which resulted in the loss of hydraulic pressure.
NTSB Identification: WPR16LA187
This September 2016 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
