20181113017229I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 310L · Mesa, AZ · November 13, 2018

Date: November 13, 2018 · 12:20 local
Place: Mesa, AZ
Airport: Falcon Field Municipal
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N37RS
Reported as: Cessna 310L
Reported engine: Continental I0-470 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0

N37RSRegistration cancelled Mar 27, 2020 · Cessna 310LS/N 310L-0061 · Built 1966 Airframe modelCessna 310L Engine modelContinental I0-470 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.

At approximately 12:20PM local time N37RS, a Cessna 310L, sustained minor damage following a landing after a landing gear malfunction at Falcon field airport in Mesa, AZ (kffz).

The flight was a local area instructional flight. The CFI reported that on the upwind of their first departure, he moved the gear handle to the ?up? Position. The gear began to retract. The air traffic control tower reported to the pilot that the nose gear appeared to be only partially retracted. The CFI confirmed this visually with the mirror on the engine cowling. The nose wheel then suddenly retracted into the nose wheel compartment with a load thump.

The CFI departed the pattern to troubleshoot. The main gear operated normally but the nose gear would not move with either the normal extension or emergency gear extension. They returned to the airport and tower confirmed the nose gear appeared to be partially extended. Upon landing, the nose gear collapsed the aircraft came to a stop.

As the FAA filed it

AT APPROXIMATELY 12:20PM LOCAL TIME N37RS, A CESSNA 310L, SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE FOLLOWING A LANDING AFTER A LANDING GEAR MALFUNCTION AT FALCON FIELD AIRPORT IN MESA, AZ (KFFZ).

THE FLIGHT WAS A LOCAL AREA INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE CFI REPORTED THAT ON THE UPWIND OF THEIR FIRST DEPARTURE, HE MOVED THE GEAR HANDLE TO THE ?UP? POSITION. THE GEAR BEGAN TO RETRACT. THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER REPORTED TO THE PILOT THAT THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO BE ONLY PARTIALLY RETRACTED. THE CFI CONFIRMED THIS VISUALLY WITH THE MIRROR ON THE ENGINE COWLING. THE NOSE WHEEL THEN SUDDENLY RETRACTED INTO THE NOSE WHEEL COMPARTMENT WITH A LOAD THUMP.

THE CFI DEPARTED THE PATTERN TO TROUBLESHOOT. THE MAIN GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY BUT THE NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT MOVE WITH EITHER THE NORMAL EXTENSION OR EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION. THEY RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT AND TOWER CONFIRMED THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO BE PARTIALLY EXTENDED. UPON LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP.