What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Sunday January 22nd at approximately 1040 local time the PIC of a Cessna 310 was completing his second of three touch and goes to satisfy the passenger carrying requirements of 14 CFR part 61.57(a)(1). The Cessna 310 is a multi-engine piston aircraft with retractable gear with a tricycle configuration. While on a mid-field downwind for runway 15 the pilot performed his pre-landing check. This pre-landing check was initiated by the PIC bringing the throttles back to idle and listening for the gear warning horn. As the pilot had not selected gear down he verified that the horn was audible. After advancing the throttles the pilot selected the gear lever to the down position and put in 10 degrees of flaps. After completing a base leg turn for the landing runway, the pilot selected 20 degrees of flaps. While on final approach the pilot selected 35 degrees of flaps which was the final flap setting that was to be used for the landing. The pilot does not recall nor can he verify that he checked the green gear indicator light to confirm that the gear was down and locked. However, he does distinctly remember brining the throttles back to idle while on the final approach leg and he did not hear the gear warning horn. The gear warning horn in this aircraft is designed to be audible when the gear is not physically down and the throttles are reduced to idle. The absence of the gear warning horn that the pilot noted led him to believe that the gear was indeed down and locked.
The pilot touched down on the runway just beyond the runway numbers. After the touch down the pilot claimed that the aircraft began to settle more then he was used to. Shortly after this observation both props began to strike the runway surface. Although the fuselage had yet to make contact with the runway the pilot elected to induce a left turn to exit the runway into the flat grass area adjacent to the runway surface. He did this fearing that sparks created by the skin of the aircraft and the asphalt would create a potential for fire. As the aircraft was approximately 20 yards into the grass area the aircraft?s fuselage made contact with the surface. This is evidenced by both main gear doors as well as a distance measuring beacon being sheared from the body of the aircraft. The aircraft continued another approximately 10 yards before coming to a full stop.
The pilot immediately secured the aircraft and made and exit to assess what had just happened. After several minutes that pilot elected to return to the interior of the aircraft and check the circuit breakers to see if any of the circuit breakers had popped out. He noted that the gear motor circuit breaker had indeed popped. This would be consistent with the gear motor attempting to move the gear to the down and locked position as it began to collapse during the landing roll-out.
No injuries were sustained by the pilot. The pilot attests that there were no weather phenomena or abnormal runway conditions that would have contributed to this event.
As the FAA filed it
ON SUNDAY JANUARY 22ND AT APPROXIMATELY 1040 LOCAL TIME THE PIC OF A CESSNA 310 WAS COMPLETING HIS SECOND OF THREE TOUCH AND GOES TO SATISFY THE PASSENGER CARRYING REQUIREMENTS OF 14 CFR PART 61.57(A)(1). THE CESSNA 310 IS A MULTI-ENGINE PISTON AIRCRAFT WITH RETRACTABLE GEAR WITH A TRICYCLE CONFIGURATION. WHILE ON A MID-FIELD DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 15 THE PILOT PERFORMED HIS PRE-LANDING CHECK. THIS PRE-LANDING CHECK WAS INITIATED BY THE PIC BRINGING THE THROTTLES BACK TO IDLE AND LISTENING FOR THE GEAR WARNING HORN. AS THE PILOT HAD NOT SELECTED GEAR DOWN HE VERIFIED THAT THE HORN WAS AUDIBLE. AFTER ADVANCING THE THROTTLES THE PILOT SELECTED THE GEAR LEVER TO THE DOWN POSITION AND PUT IN 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS. AFTER COMPLETING A BASE LEG TURN FOR THE LANDING RUNWAY, THE PILOT SELECTED 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH THE PILOT SELECTED 35 DEGREES OF FLAPS WHICH WAS THE FINAL FLAP SETTING THAT WAS TO BE USED FOR THE LANDING. THE PILOT DOES NOT RECALL NOR CAN HE VERIFY THAT HE CHECKED THE GREEN GEAR INDICATOR LIGHT TO CONFIRM THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. HOWEVER, HE DOES DISTINCTLY REMEMBER BRINING THE THROTTLES BACK TO IDLE WHILE ON THE FINAL APPROACH LEG AND HE DID NOT HEAR THE GEAR WARNING HORN. THE GEAR WARNING HORN IN THIS AIRCRAFT IS DESIGNED TO BE AUDIBLE WHEN THE GEAR IS NOT PHYSICALLY DOWN AND THE THROTTLES ARE REDUCED TO IDLE. THE ABSENCE OF THE GEAR WARNING HORN THAT THE PILOT NOTED LED HIM TO BELIEVE THAT THE GEAR WAS INDEED DOWN AND LOCKED.
THE PILOT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY JUST BEYOND THE RUNWAY NUMBERS. AFTER THE TOUCH DOWN THE PILOT CLAIMED THAT THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE MORE THEN HE WAS USED TO. SHORTLY AFTER THIS OBSERVATION BOTH PROPS BEGAN TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY SURFACE. ALTHOUGH THE FUSELAGE HAD YET TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY THE PILOT ELECTED TO INDUCE A LEFT TURN TO EXIT THE RUNWAY INTO THE FLAT GRASS AREA ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY SURFACE. HE DID THIS FEARING THAT SPARKS CREATED BY THE SKIN OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE ASPHALT WOULD CREATE A POTENTIAL FOR FIRE. AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 YARDS INTO THE GRASS AREA THE AIRCRAFT?S FUSELAGE MADE CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE. THIS IS EVIDENCED BY BOTH MAIN GEAR DOORS AS WELL AS A DISTANCE MEASURING BEACON BEING SHEARED FROM THE BODY OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ANOTHER APPROXIMATELY 10 YARDS BEFORE COMING TO A FULL STOP.
THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND MADE AND EXIT TO ASSESS WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THAT PILOT ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE INTERIOR OF THE AIRCRAFT AND CHECK THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO SEE IF ANY OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAD POPPED OUT. HE NOTED THAT THE GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD INDEED POPPED. THIS WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE GEAR MOTOR ATTEMPTING TO MOVE THE GEAR TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION AS IT BEGAN TO COLLAPSE DURING THE LANDING ROLL-OUT.
NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY THE PILOT. THE PILOT ATTESTS THAT THERE WERE NO WEATHER PHENOMENA OR ABNORMAL RUNWAY CONDITIONS THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EVENT.