R182 Gear Poll

Are you DIRECTLY aware of a R182 that has landed gear up due to gear problems?

  • Total voters
    20
Jim Rosenow

Jim Rosenow

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Jim Rosenow
So...here we go....let's see how big an issue this is. Curiosity got the better of me! :)

Of course we will have a certain amount of 'windage'...."I dunno, the gear wouldn't come down" after a gear-up. The gear handle will, in fact, go down after the airplane is on the ground :)

Jim
 
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How many were actually made, 200-300?
 
Our s/n is 2035...one of the last dozen or so.

Jim
 
We had one do it, but not because of system failure. The airplane ran into an owl at night. It struck the nosegear doors, caving them in and jamming the nosegar up. The airplane touched down on the mains and settled onto the nose.

Now, I did have a gear failure with that same airplane on the jacks in the shop. One of the O-rings in the selector valve failed, letting the fluid pressure bypass the system, and the gear wouldn't operate. I'm trying to remember whether the hand pump still worked or not. I do know that if a piston seal in any actuator fails, you won't get the gear pumped down.
 
If the flexible nose gear line blows you cannot pump the main gear down.
 
Oddly enough if you keep on top of things, keep the bottom clean and watch for drips, the plane will telegraph an issue. I have found two leaks (o-rings) replace then. I did have one issue which I identified shortly after gear retraction (amp spike every 11 seconds) so I put the gear down, pulled the CB, belly was covered in fluid. I could have easily ignored the warnings but we don't take chances.
 
With a failure mode like that, I believe I'd put those o-rings and lines on a schedule. Change all every 5 years maybe?
In any case, I wouldn't Busch those.
 
Gear up landing by hydro seal loss/leak is a cheap happenstance. At least that's covered by the insurance. It's the cracked pivots at annual that'll ruin your year. Can't underwrite that one....
 
If it's anything like my experience with a 177RG..... No Thanks :)
 
ja_user said:
How many were actually made, 200-300?
Click to expand...

1900 for the R182. Unsure on the 172 variant.

I want to say zero but I don't want to jinx my own airplane. Just rebuilt the seals and packs though as a preventative measure when we suspected an issue.
 
Zero due to gear problems... But our club's R182 has had two gear-ups due to a loose nut between the yoke and the seat, and has had some gear problems that did not result in gear-up landings.

A cracked pivot will manifest first as a soft brake, since the brake fluid runs through the middle of the pivot. If you find brake fluid on your gear leg, or you have a soft brake pedal, get out the checkbook.

We had one cracked pivot which was repaired. Never a problem with the power pack. We also had a broken bolt in the nose gear that resulted in a heckuva shimmy at certain speeds, that was further exacerbated by a crappy shop before being fixed correctly at a good shop.
 
With the vast majority apparently not having horror stories to tell about persistent R182 gear-ups, I have to say I'm happy with the response (and lack of) so far. Thanks to those who took the time to respond/vote!

Sam.....do tell more, please! The gear set-up is the same on the 172, 177, and 182 retractables, far as I know.

Jim
 
A school I went to had a C182 land gear up. The left main wouldn't go down. This was the first flight after maintenance. Culprit was a bent brake line which hung up on the lip of the gear well - probably the result of someone standing on the wheel during the annual.

I had never flown a 182 at that point, but checking those hard lines near the caliper became a walk around item for me when I did.

I loved the C182R. Owned a C177RG for a while and did have issues with the saddles, up locks and the power pack. Once $orted out it was quite reliable.

Closest I have come to gear up landing was in an early 210. Instead of a electro-hydraulic power pack it used an engine driven hydraulic pump which ate itself. The gear failed to go down so we left the pattern to sort it out. Lucked out and got it down .The mechanic said he was glad we didn't try to cycle it to make sure - it wouldn't have worked.
 
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