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20210615007699I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 310C · St. Charles, MO · June 15, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 15, 2021 · 09:21 local
Place
St. Charles, MO
Airport
St. Charles County Smartt
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1852H
Reported as
Cessna 310C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
1,725 total
N1852HRegistered now · Cessna 310CS/N 35952 · Built 1959Airframe modelCessna 310CEngine 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.

The PIC of N1852H, a Cessna 310 departed St. Charles County Smartt Airport (kset)in st Charles, Missouri to practice some pattern work (take-offs/landings) at the airport. During the take-off he retracted the gear and soon after the gear handle was selected in the up position he heard a loud noise, that he described as a loud bang. The pilot checked the gear position lights. The lights were not illuminated. He pushed the test button and the lights illuminated. The pilot exited the pattern, and flew to a safe area to troubleshoot the problem. All circuit breakers were checked and all were in the correct position, the pilot performed a cycling of the gear. The pilot said he could hear the gear motor running, however the gear position light indicator did not illuminate. The pilot performed a emergency gear extension and the gear position lights indicator never illuminated. The pilot said that he could see in the mirror that the nose wheel was in the down position. The pilot called a mechanic at the airport to come to the runway to visually check that the gear were down as he performed a flyby. The mechanic came to the runway and told the pilot that the gear appeared down, but could not confirm if they were locked in position. The pilot performed a soft field landing lowering the left main and then the right main onto the runway. After touching down onto the runway the aircraft rolled a short distance and then the right wing began to drop. The pilot tried to control aircraft but as the airspeed decreased the aircraft began to veer to the right and came to rest in the grass off the runway.

As the FAA filed it

THE PIC OF N1852H, A CESSNA 310 DEPARTED ST. CHARLES COUNTY SMARTT AIRPORT (KSET)IN ST CHARLES, MISSOURI TO PRACTICE SOME PATTERN WORK (TAKE-OFFS/LANDINGS) AT THE AIRPORT. DURING THE TAKE-OFF HE RETRACTED THE GEAR AND SOON AFTER THE GEAR HANDLE WAS SELECTED IN THE UP POSITION HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE, THAT HE DESCRIBED AS A LOUD BANG. THE PILOT CHECKED THE GEAR POSITION LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS WERE NOT ILLUMINATED. HE PUSHED THE TEST BUTTON AND THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT EXITED THE PATTERN, AND FLEW TO A SAFE AREA TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM. ALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE CHECKED AND ALL WERE IN THE CORRECT POSITION, THE PILOT PERFORMED A CYCLING OF THE GEAR. THE PILOT SAID HE COULD HEAR THE GEAR MOTOR RUNNING, HOWEVER THE GEAR POSITION LIGHT INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE PILOT PERFORMED A EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION AND THE GEAR POSITION LIGHTS INDICATOR NEVER ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE COULD SEE IN THE MIRROR THAT THE NOSE WHEEL WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE PILOT CALLED A MECHANIC AT THE AIRPORT TO COME TO THE RUNWAY TO VISUALLY CHECK THAT THE GEAR WERE DOWN AS HE PERFORMED A FLYBY. THE MECHANIC CAME TO THE RUNWAY AND TOLD THE PILOT THAT THE GEAR APPEARED DOWN, BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM IF THEY WERE LOCKED IN POSITION. THE PILOT PERFORMED A SOFT FIELD LANDING LOWERING THE LEFT MAIN AND THEN THE RIGHT MAIN ONTO THE RUNWAY. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN ONTO THE RUNWAY THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED A SHORT DISTANCE AND THEN THE RIGHT WING BEGAN TO DROP. THE PILOT TRIED TO CONTROL AIRCRAFT BUT AS THE AIRSPEED DECREASED THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO VEER TO THE RIGHT AND CAME TO REST IN THE GRASS OFF THE RUNWAY.