# NTSB ANC93IA076: Cessna 310, N5847M, Kodiak, AK, May 31, 1993

- Type: NTSB incident investigation
- Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report
- Date: May 31, 1993, 13:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place: Kodiak, AK
- Coordinates: 57.789299, -152.400634 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=57.7893&lon=-152.4006&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 2 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report February 14, 1996
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office
- NTSB case key (mKey): 2318
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC93IA076
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/2318/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC93IA076

## Probable cause

THE FAILURE OF THE NOSE GEAR IDLER BELL CRANK DUE TO OVERSTRESS BY AN UNDETERMINED SOURCE.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- Nose gear collapsed, landing - roll
  - landing gear,nose gear - failure,partial (cause)

## 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 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 310
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 310P0147
- Airframe hours: 3000
- Engines: 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.

- Pilot; age 39; 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 (OpenAirDocs).

- [Incident 19930531019819I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930531019819I), May 31, 1993: Cessna 310P, Kodiak, AK. Narrative: on retraction of the nose gear, the pilot-in-command heard a loud noise. He then noticed on a subsequent extension that the gear would not lock…

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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