On June 20, 1998, a Cessna 310N (registration N5030Q) was involved in an aviation accident near Janesville, WI. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to ensure the nose landing gear was properly extended, which resulted from a maintenance error where the linkage for the right nose landing gear door was not secured after the airplane was painted. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft landed with its nose gear retracted because the linkage for the right door was not secured during prior maintenance, trapping the gear inoperable.
What happened
The airplane touched down at the airport with the nose landing gear remaining in the retracted position. Upon closer inspection of the airframe and undercarriage systems, investigators discovered that the mechanical linkage responsible for operating the right nose landing gear door had not been properly secured. This oversight prevented the gear from extending correctly during the final approach.
The investigation
Further examination revealed that the accident flight was the first operation after the airplane had undergone a painting procedure. During this maintenance phase, the nose landing gear doors were disengaged to facilitate the work. However, the reconnection process was incomplete. When the landing gear was subsequently retracted on the previous departure following the paint job, the nose landing gear became trapped within the wheel well, rendering it inoperable for the remainder of the flight.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the incident was the failure to secure the linkage for the right nose landing gear door after maintenance. This procedural error led directly to the gear becoming trapped and unable to deploy during the critical landing phase.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure the nose landing gear was properly extended, which resulted from a maintenance error where the linkage for the right nose landing gear door was not secured after the airplane was painted.