- Date
- May 31, 1993, 13:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Kodiak, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5847MCessna 310
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 14, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19930531019819I
- Case key
- 2318
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
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Probable cause
The failure of the nose gear idler bell crank due to overstress by an undetermined source.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane just completed an annual inspection and was on a maintenance test flight. Upon gear retraction the nose gear made a loud noise and then would not lock in the down position of the subsequent extension. Examination of the system showed the landing mechanism was in rig and the nose gear centering mechanism was operational. Metallurgical examination showed that the fractures revealed features typical of overstress separations.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 1993, at 1315 Alaska daylight time, a retractable wheel equipped Cessna 310 airplane, N5847M, registered to and operated by the Pilot-in-Command, experienced a collapse of the nose gear upon landing at the Kodiak Airport, Kodiak, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Kodiak for a local maintenance test flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The Airline Transport Pilot-in-Command and the mechanic/passenger were not injured and the airplane received only minor damage.
According to the Pilot-in-Command, the nose gear made a loud noise upon retraction and then would not lock down during the subsequent extension. Examination of the system showed a failure of the nose gear idler bell crank.
Metallurgical examination of the idler bell crank by use of the bench binocular microscope showed that the fractures revealed features typical of over stress separations.
According to the Pilot-in-Command/owner and the mechanic, after the mishap, they simply replaced the idler bell crank and performed a gear extension and retraction check while the airplane was on jacks. The gear performed perfectly and they were not able to duplicate the problem. The nose wheel centering mechanism was examined and no anomalies were noted. According to the mechanic, the landing gear was rigged properly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5847M
- Reported as
- Cessna 310
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310P0147
- Airframe hours
- 3,000
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-C, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Main, Robert
- Registered owner
- Bob Main And Associates
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 31, 1993 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- ADQ
- Destination
- ADQ
- Airport
- ADQ · Kodiak, runway 28, 5,400 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,300 total · 400 in this make and model · 4,250 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.