Narrative:

The WX at lakeland was night VMC with light and variable winds. Runway 9 was the active runway. I came from ocala and was instructed by the tower to report a 3 mi left base to runway 9. I crossed intersection 4 at about 1200 ft and 140 KTS, reported 3 mi and began to configure the plane. I lowered 10 degrees of flaps and the gear around 130 KTS. The flaps and gear extended and appeared to be normal. The tower cleared me to land runway 9 and I acknowledged the call. I checked the gear light and saw my green light. I lowered 20 degrees of flaps below 115 KTS and just before returning base. The power was back just below 15 pounds and I looked to be on a good visual glide path for runway 9. On final I lowered 30 degrees of flaps, checked my gear light again, and then focused on the runway. At night I cannot see my gear and trusted my gear light. My power was back crossing the threshold and I looked to be on speed and on center. My aim point was 1000 ft down on centerline. I flared the airplane for touchdown and felt the main gear followed by the nosewheel touchdown. I thought that I had greased the landing and was quite happy. The plane seemed to hold a landing attitude as it slowed down. The plane then began to lean back as if the gear was rolling back. At first I thought I had a flat tire, but the plane seemed to lean back too far. I applied ailerons, brakes, and nosewheel steering in an attempt to keep the plane straight. I thought first of applying power to go around, but choose to fight to keep the airplane on centerline and stop straight ahead due to slow speed and ctlability. As the plane came to a stop, it hooked to the left 180 degrees and came to rest facing the approach end on the runway and leaning on its right side. I shut the engine off and called the tower to report the mishap and that I was all right. I cleaned up the plane and shut off all the electric switches and shut off the fuel then I climbed out and inspected the plane. I saw the plane resting on its main landing gear to the aft. I saw fuel leaking from the right wingtip and turned the radio on again to request a fire truck and then I waited for them to show. In closing, I need to pointout that I checked the gear light on base and on final and saw a green light. At no time did the gear warning horn go off, and I assumed that I had safe gear. When the plane came to a stop and was resting on the collapsed gear, the green light remained on. I spoke with a maintenance inspector from the FAA that evening and told him of this fact at the airplane. At night I cannot see my gear outside and I had safe indications that the gear was down and locked, but it was not. This incident took me by surprise, but I believe that I did the best that I could do. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the nosewheel did not collapse and that all indications were normal prior to touchdown. Postflt maintenance found a defective part on the main landing gear downlock.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 PLT HAS MAIN LNDG GEAR COLLAPSE DURING LNDG AT KLAL.

Narrative: THE WX AT LAKELAND WAS NIGHT VMC WITH LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS. RWY 9 WAS THE ACTIVE RWY. I CAME FROM OCALA AND WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE TWR TO RPT A 3 MI L BASE TO RWY 9. I CROSSED INTXN 4 AT ABOUT 1200 FT AND 140 KTS, RPTED 3 MI AND BEGAN TO CONFIGURE THE PLANE. I LOWERED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS AND THE GEAR AROUND 130 KTS. THE FLAPS AND GEAR EXTENDED AND APPEARED TO BE NORMAL. THE TWR CLRED ME TO LAND RWY 9 AND I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CALL. I CHKED THE GEAR LIGHT AND SAW MY GREEN LIGHT. I LOWERED 20 DEGS OF FLAPS BELOW 115 KTS AND JUST BEFORE RETURNING BASE. THE PWR WAS BACK JUST BELOW 15 LBS AND I LOOKED TO BE ON A GOOD VISUAL GLIDE PATH FOR RWY 9. ON FINAL I LOWERED 30 DEGS OF FLAPS, CHKED MY GEAR LIGHT AGAIN, AND THEN FOCUSED ON THE RWY. AT NIGHT I CANNOT SEE MY GEAR AND TRUSTED MY GEAR LIGHT. MY PWR WAS BACK XING THE THRESHOLD AND I LOOKED TO BE ON SPD AND ON CTR. MY AIM POINT WAS 1000 FT DOWN ON CTRLINE. I FLARED THE AIRPLANE FOR TOUCHDOWN AND FELT THE MAIN GEAR FOLLOWED BY THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHDOWN. I THOUGHT THAT I HAD GREASED THE LNDG AND WAS QUITE HAPPY. THE PLANE SEEMED TO HOLD A LNDG ATTITUDE AS IT SLOWED DOWN. THE PLANE THEN BEGAN TO LEAN BACK AS IF THE GEAR WAS ROLLING BACK. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I HAD A FLAT TIRE, BUT THE PLANE SEEMED TO LEAN BACK TOO FAR. I APPLIED AILERONS, BRAKES, AND NOSEWHEEL STEERING IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE PLANE STRAIGHT. I THOUGHT FIRST OF APPLYING PWR TO GO AROUND, BUT CHOOSE TO FIGHT TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE ON CTRLINE AND STOP STRAIGHT AHEAD DUE TO SLOW SPD AND CTLABILITY. AS THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP, IT HOOKED TO THE L 180 DEGS AND CAME TO REST FACING THE APCH END ON THE RWY AND LEANING ON ITS R SIDE. I SHUT THE ENG OFF AND CALLED THE TWR TO RPT THE MISHAP AND THAT I WAS ALL RIGHT. I CLEANED UP THE PLANE AND SHUT OFF ALL THE ELECTRIC SWITCHES AND SHUT OFF THE FUEL THEN I CLBED OUT AND INSPECTED THE PLANE. I SAW THE PLANE RESTING ON ITS MAIN LNDG GEAR TO THE AFT. I SAW FUEL LEAKING FROM THE R WINGTIP AND TURNED THE RADIO ON AGAIN TO REQUEST A FIRE TRUCK AND THEN I WAITED FOR THEM TO SHOW. IN CLOSING, I NEED TO POINTOUT THAT I CHKED THE GEAR LIGHT ON BASE AND ON FINAL AND SAW A GREEN LIGHT. AT NO TIME DID THE GEAR WARNING HORN GO OFF, AND I ASSUMED THAT I HAD SAFE GEAR. WHEN THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP AND WAS RESTING ON THE COLLAPSED GEAR, THE GREEN LIGHT REMAINED ON. I SPOKE WITH A MAINT INSPECTOR FROM THE FAA THAT EVENING AND TOLD HIM OF THIS FACT AT THE AIRPLANE. AT NIGHT I CANNOT SEE MY GEAR OUTSIDE AND I HAD SAFE INDICATIONS THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED, BUT IT WAS NOT. THIS INCIDENT TOOK ME BY SURPRISE, BUT I BELIEVE THAT I DID THE BEST THAT I COULD DO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE NOSEWHEEL DID NOT COLLAPSE AND THAT ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. POSTFLT MAINT FOUND A DEFECTIVE PART ON THE MAIN LNDG GEAR DOWNLOCK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.