WPR13LA238

The pilot reported that, upon touchdown, the airplane's right main landing gear began to wobble and then it folded under the fuselage. Despite his efforts to maintain directional control, the airplane veered off the runway surface and came to rest in an adjacent dirt area. The right wheel and lower strut had separated from the upper strut and were found lying on the runway. The right main landing gear torque links had separated at the center hinge point, and the damage indicated that a mechanical malfunction of the link assembly had occurred, which resulted in the right main landing gear collapsing during landing.

On May 08, 2013, about 1455 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 310R, N6096C, experienced a right main landing gear collapse during the landing roll at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport, Bakersfield, California. Barr Air Patrol LLC, was operating it under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country aerial observation flight departed from Concord, California about 1300 with a planned destination of Bakersfield. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan had been filed and activated.The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to perform pipeline patrol. The airplane touched down on runway 34 normally and immediately thereafter, the right main landing gear began to wobble and then it folded under the fuselage. Despite the pilot's efforts to maintain directional control by inputting left rudder and aileron, the airplane veered off the runway surface coming to rest in an adjacent dirt area. After egressing from the airplane, the pilot noted that the right wheel had departed from the landing gear and, as a result, the gear had collapsed. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane impacted a runway light as it departed the pavement. Skid marks on the runway were approximately 18 inches from the touchdown area and appeared consistent in orientation to the right main gear rotating approximately 90 degrees. The right wheel and lower strut had separated from the upper strut and were lying on the runway. The right main landing gear torque links had separated at the center hinge point, which he thought may have allowed the wheel to rotate 90 degrees to the direction of travel. A post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear had damaged the wheel well area including the ribs inboard and outboard of the gear attach point. The upper and lower torque links were intact. He opined that based on the damage there was a mechanical malfunction of the link assembly (part number 5141005-8) which would include the bushing, a sheered bolt, and/or the washer. The last annual inspection was completed on April 23, 2013, and 37 hours had been accumulated since the inspection.