On September 20, 1991, a Cessna 310J (registration N300RA) operated by Thomas W. Cherwin was involved in an aviation accident near Sugar Grove, IL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE BUCKLED NOSE LANDING GEAR RETRACTION/EXTENSION GEAR DRIVE TUBE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND NOT HAVING THE LANDING GEAR INSPECTED AT THE INTERVAL RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a practice landing, a commercial pilot selected gear down but the nose gear did not extend. The pilot landed on main gear, shut down engines on final, resulting in a hard landing. The nose contacted the pavement and propellers struck. A gear drive tube was found buckled, and the landing gear had not been inspected per manufacturer recommendation.
Incident Description
A commercial pilot was conducting a practice landing. When the pilot selected the landing gear to the down position, the nose gear failed to extend. The pilot decided to land using only the main landing gear and shut down the engines while on final approach. The airplane touched down hard, causing the nose to drop to the pavement. The propellers, which were at flight pitch, struck the pavement during the landing.
Examination Results
Following the incident, an examination of the aircraft found that a gear drive tube was buckled in compression. It was also determined that the landing gear had not been inspected at the interval recommended by the manufacturer.