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20030329008459I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 310L · Ulysses, KS · March 29, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 29, 2003 · 15:00 local
Place
Ulysses, KS
Airport
Ulysses Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3355Q
Reported as
Cessna 310L
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
15,000 total1,500 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N3355QRegistered now · Cessna 310LS/N 310L-0205Airframe modelCessna 310L

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) On 03/29/03 a Cessna 310-L operated by larry keith smith (certificate #2200995) and one passenger departed tri-rotor field (a private runway north of Ulysses, KS) en route to Ulysses. After a normal t/o the pilot selected gear up, approximately 5-6 seconds later a loud bang was heard and an unsafe gear indication resulted. The pilot contacted Ulysses UNICOM and made a low pass over the FBO to verify the configuration of the landing gear. The witnesses contacted the pilot and informed him that the nose gear was trailing approximately 30 degrees aft. The pilot then performed several maneuvers in an attempt to get the gear down and locked, all to no avail. He flew for about an hour to burn off excess fuel. Prior to landing on runway the pilot positioned the passenger to the FAR aft seats and performed a power off landing. As the nose settled on to the concrete the aircraft slid down the runway for approximately 200 feet coming to rest on the center line. The pilot and his passenger egressed the aircraft safely and were not injured. The underside of the fwd nose section, nose gear doors and both props were damaged. Due to the damage involved this mishap has been identified as an incident.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON 03/29/03 A CESSNA 310-L OPERATED BY LARRY KEITH SMITH (CERTIFICATE #2200995) AND ONE PASSENGER DEPARTED TRI-ROTOR FIELD (A PRIVATE RUNWAY NORTH OF ULYSSES, KS) EN ROUTE TO ULYSSES. AFTER A NORMAL T/O THE PILOT SELECTED GEAR UP, APPROXIMATELY 5-6 SECONDS LATER A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD AND AN UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION RESULTED. THE PILOT CONTACTED ULYSSES UNICOM AND MADE A LOW PASS OVER THE FBO TO VERIFY THE CONFIGURATION OF THE LANDING GEAR. THE WITNESSES CONTACTED THE PILOT AND INFORMED HIM THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS TRAILING APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES AFT. THE PILOT THEN PERFORMED SEVERAL MANEUVERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED, ALL TO NO AVAIL. HE FLEW FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TO BURN OFF EXCESS FUEL. PRIOR TO LANDING ON RUNWAY THE PILOT POSITIONED THE PASSENGER TO THE FAR AFT SEATS AND PERFORMED A POWER OFF LANDING. AS THE NOSE SETTLED ON TO THE CONCRETE THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN THE RUNWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET COMING TO REST ON THE CENTER LINE. THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT SAFELY AND WERE NOT INJURED. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FWD NOSE SECTION, NOSE GEAR DOORS AND BOTH PROPS WERE DAMAGED. DUE TO THE DAMAGE INVOLVED THIS MISHAP HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS AN INCIDENT.