What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The owner reported no abnormal observations of the nose gear during preflight. The pilot heard a bump noise after departure. It appears the nose strut collapsed during taxi or takeoff. After take-off the gear was retracted and the nose fender caught on the gear door brackets. The gear system on the Cessna 310 is mechanical and develops a great amount of torque. The gear motor will continue to run until the limit switches are closed or something breaks. In this case when the nose gear stuck on the gear door brackets, the motor continued to pull until the idler bellcrank broke. After the bellcrank broke, the motor continued to retract the main landing gear normally. At this point the nose gear fell back down in the slipstream where it remained until landing. When the gear was selected down, the mains came down normally but the pushrod that was no longer attached to the broken idler bellcrank penetrated the bulkhead at fuselage station 19.0 instead of passing through the normal guide hole in the bulkhead. Knowing the nose gear was not down and locked, the pilot made an excellent emergency landing catching both props on the runway, but incurring only minor damage to the airframe.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE OWNER REPORTED NO ABNORMAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE NOSE GEAR DURING PREFLIGHT. THE PILOT HEARD A BUMP NOISE AFTER DEPARTURE. IT APPEARS THE NOSE STRUT COLLAPSED DURING TAXI OR TAKEOFF. AFTER TAKE-OFF THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED AND THE NOSE FENDER CAUGHT ON THE GEAR DOOR BRACKETS. THE GEAR SYSTEM ON THE CESSNA 310 IS MECHANICAL AND DEVELOPS A GREAT AMOUNT OF TORQUE. THE GEAR MOTOR WILL CONTINUE TO RUN UNTIL THE LIMIT SWITCHES ARE CLOSED OR SOMETHING BREAKS. IN THIS CASE WHEN THE NOSE GEAR STUCK ON THE GEAR DOOR BRACKETS, THE MOTOR CONTINUED TO PULL UNTIL THE IDLER BELLCRANK BROKE. AFTER THE BELLCRANK BROKE, THE MOTOR CONTINUED TO RETRACT THE MAIN LANDING GEAR NORMALLY. AT THIS POINT THE NOSE GEAR FELL BACK DOWN IN THE SLIPSTREAM WHERE IT REMAINED UNTIL LANDING. WHEN THE GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN, THE MAINS CAME DOWN NORMALLY BUT THE PUSHROD THAT WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE BROKEN IDLER BELLCRANK PENETRATED THE BULKHEAD AT FUSELAGE STATION 19.0 INSTEAD OF PASSING THROUGH THE NORMAL GUIDE HOLE IN THE BULKHEAD. KNOWING THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED, THE PILOT MADE AN EXCELLENT EMERGENCY LANDING CATCHING BOTH PROPS ON THE RUNWAY, BUT INCURRING ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME.
Other reports on N7035L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.