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20021006028539I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 310R · Chatham, MA · October 6, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 6, 2002 · 18:58 local
Place
Chatham, MA
Airport
Chatham Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
XYRA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8EA
Reported as
Cessna 310R
People aboard
5
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
25,000 total2,000 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days
N8EARegistration cancelled Sep 2, 2009 · Cessna 310RS/N 310R0250 · Built 1975Airframe modelCessna 310REngine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) Distribution: original copy ANE-200, NE01 spm, NE-01 file, chdo boston flight standards district office, 200 hanscom drive, bedford, MA 01730-2616. Brief narrative: N8EA, 135 operation (byrne, donald, a. -- d/b/a Chatham air inc.) Cessna CE-310-R, VFR, at 1858 EDT, returned to Chatham airport, MA, after discovering the passenger door was not secured. As the aircraft landed runway 06, the right main gear torque link separated, allowing the wheel to swivel at a ninety-degree angle causing the tire to fail. There was minor aircraft damage, but no injuries to the four passengers and pilot on board. The director of maintenance found that the inner brushing of the torque links were very worn and very loose inside the torque link boss. Due to the excessive movement caused by the loose bushing, the only retaining device as the washer. When the washer was worn enough it allowed the torque link to slip by the retaining nut causing the wheel to pivot at a ninety-degree angle. Cessna is the only "approved" supplier of the retaining washer. Due to the age of the aircraft (1975) it was recommended that the director of maintenance pay more attention to the landing gear assembly(s) for wear,and perform more frequent inspections in that area due to the high cycles already on the airframe. Cessna does have an inspection program for the landing gear but no disassembly is specifically required for inspection of the landing gear and their components.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DISTRIBUTION: ORIGINAL COPY ANE-200, NE01 SPM, NE-01 FILE, CHDO BOSTON FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE, 200 HANSCOM DRIVE, BEDFORD, MA 01730-2616. BRIEF NARRATIVE: N8EA, 135 OPERATION (BYRNE, DONALD, A. -- D/B/A CHATHAM AIR INC.) CESSNA CE-310-R, VFR, AT 1858 EDT, RETURNED TO CHATHAM AIRPORT, MA, AFTER DISCOVERING THE PASSENGER DOOR WAS NOT SECURED. AS THE AIRCRAFT LANDED RUNWAY 06, THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR TORQUE LINK SEPARATED, ALLOWING THE WHEEL TO SWIVEL AT A NINETY-DEGREE ANGLE CAUSING THE TIRE TO FAIL. THERE WAS MINOR AIRCRAFT DAMAGE, BUT NO INJURIES TO THE FOUR PASSENGERS AND PILOT ON BOARD. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE FOUND THAT THE INNER BRUSHING OF THE TORQUE LINKS WERE VERY WORN AND VERY LOOSE INSIDE THE TORQUE LINK BOSS. DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT CAUSED BY THE LOOSE BUSHING, THE ONLY RETAINING DEVICE AS THE WASHER. WHEN THE WASHER WAS WORN ENOUGH IT ALLOWED THE TORQUE LINK TO SLIP BY THE RETAINING NUT CAUSING THE WHEEL TO PIVOT AT A NINETY-DEGREE ANGLE. CESSNA IS THE ONLY "APPROVED" SUPPLIER OF THE RETAINING WASHER. DUE TO THE AGE OF THE AIRCRAFT (1975) IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY(S) FOR WEAR,AND PERFORM MORE FREQUENT INSPECTIONS IN THAT AREA DUE TO THE HIGH CYCLES ALREADY ON THE AIRFRAME. CESSNA DOES HAVE AN INSPECTION PROGRAM FOR THE LANDING GEAR BUT NO DISASSEMBLY IS SPECIFICALLY REQUIRED FOR INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR AND THEIR COMPONENTS.