# Incident 19971213044229I: Cessna 310J, Oklahoma City, OK, December 13, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 13, 1997, 15:40 local time
- Place: Oklahoma City, OK
- Airport: Will Rogers World
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: OEJA
- Location: 35.4676° N, 97.5164° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Oklahoma City, OK, within about 14 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4676&lon=-97.5164&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3141L (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 310J
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 970 total, 150 in this make and model, 45 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971213044229I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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