Incident Overview
On June 21, 2011, at approximately 0925 mountain standard time, a Cessna 320F, registration N6160Q, made a precautionary landing on runway 7R at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT) in Phoenix, Arizona. The pilot, who also owned the aircraft, was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 for a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
Preflight and Takeoff
During the preflight inspection, the pilot noticed that the left main landing gear strut was low. He contacted a maintenance facility to service the strut and to refill the oxygen bottle. After the maintenance was completed, the pilot and two passengers boarded the airplane and departed.
In-Flight Gear Malfunction
During the initial climb, the pilot heard a noise as he raised the landing gear handle. He checked a mirror mounted on the inboard side of the left engine cowling and observed that the nose landing gear was only partially retracted. He attempted to cycle the gear using normal procedures and then manual procedures, but the nose gear did not change position.
Precautionary Landing
The pilot elected to land on the runway with the nose gear partially retracted. He approached at a slow speed, and as the main landing gear touched down, he kept the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible. When the airspeed decreased, the nose of the airplane contacted the runway, and the aircraft skidded to a stop.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane after the incident. The inspector noted that the landing gear actuator push-pull tube end bolt was still securely attached to the rod end but was disconnected from the nose gear door hinge clevis bolt. No damage was observed to either the rod end bolt or the clevis bolt.
Maintenance Findings
The FAA inspector spoke with the airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic who had performed maintenance on the airplane earlier that day. The mechanic reported that the nose landing gear doors had to be disconnected to access the oxygen bottle valve and control cable. He stated that he remembered tightening the gear doors but must have failed to secure the bolt to the clevis bolt.