On February 17, 1985, a Cessna 310G (registration N2916R) was involved in an aviation accident near Austin, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The nose gear door actuating rods were disconnected during maintenance on the previous day and were not reconnected. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During takeoff, a pilot heard a loud noise when retracting the gear. After landing, the nose gear collapsed. Investigation found maintenance had left actuating rods disconnected.
Incident Details
During the takeoff roll, as the pilot retracted the landing gear, a loud noise was heard. The pilot continued to the intended destination. Upon arrival, the pilot was unable to obtain a safe nose gear indication. During landing, the pilot delayed lowering the nose gear and kept the weight on the main landing gear as long as possible. However, the nose gear subsequently collapsed.
Maintenance Findings
An examination of the aircraft revealed that the nose gear door actuating rods had been disconnected during maintenance performed on the previous day. The rods had not been reconnected before the aircraft returned to service.
Probable cause
The nose gear door actuating rods were disconnected during maintenance on the previous day and were not reconnected.