# Incident 20021006028539I: Cessna 310R, Chatham, MA, October 6, 2002

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 6, 2002, 18:58 local time
- Place: Chatham, MA
- Airport: Chatham Municipal Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: XYRA
- Location: 41.6883° N, 69.9897° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHATHAM MUNI (CQX), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6883&lon=-69.9897&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8EA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8EA-2009-09-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 310R (registry code 2074245, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-310r) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 310R
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 25,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021006028539I

## Narrative

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

(-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.

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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