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19971213044229I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 310J · Oklahoma City, OK · December 13, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 13, 1997 · 15:40 local
Place
Oklahoma City, OK
Airport
Will Rogers World
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
OEJA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3141L
Reported as
Cessna 310J
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
970 total150 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: after initial t.o. during gear retraction a loud snapping noise was heard from within the nose gear area. The main gear retracted, however the nose would not retract. Several attempts were made and each time only the main gear would retract and the gear motor c.b. tripped. The nose gear would neither lock in the down position or stay in the retract position. The PIC elected to land with the MLG up, resulting in minor damage to the belly and no damage to the props or engines. The investigation revealed that the nose gear linkage bell crank (p/n 0842102-2) had failed. Cause of failure was due to the nose gear strut being-over serviced with hydraulic fluid and no nitrogen in the strut. This resulted in the strut not fully extending after lift-off and the lower part of the strut interfering with the gear door linkage during retraction. Note that the strut did not appear flat during preflight as it was overserviced with fluid. Records research revealed no evidence of previous nose gear strut problems or servicing of the nose gear strut.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: AFTER INITIAL T.O. DURING GEAR RETRACTION A LOUD SNAPPING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM WITHIN THE NOSE GEAR AREA. THE MAIN GEAR RETRACTED, HOWEVER THE NOSE WOULD NOT RETRACT. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE AND EACH TIME ONLY THE MAIN GEAR WOULD RETRACT AND THE GEAR MOTOR C.B. TRIPPED. THE NOSE GEAR WOULD NEITHER LOCK IN THE DOWN POSITION OR STAY IN THE RETRACT POSITION. THE PIC ELECTED TO LAND WITH THE MLG UP, RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BELLY AND NO DAMAGE TO THE PROPS OR ENGINES. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NOSE GEAR LINKAGE BELL CRANK (P/N 0842102-2) HAD FAILED. CAUSE OF FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE NOSE GEAR STRUT BEING-OVER SERVICED WITH HYDRAULIC FLUID AND NO NITROGEN IN THE STRUT. THIS RESULTED IN THE STRUT NOT FULLY EXTENDING AFTER LIFT-OFF AND THE LOWER PART OF THE STRUT INTERFERING WITH THE GEAR DOOR LINKAGE DURING RETRACTION. NOTE THAT THE STRUT DID NOT APPEAR FLAT DURING PREFLIGHT AS IT WAS OVERSERVICED WITH FLUID. RECORDS RESEARCH REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREVIOUS NOSE GEAR STRUT PROBLEMS OR SERVICING OF THE NOSE GEAR STRUT.