What happened
On July 12, 2012, at approximately 19:32 UTC, a Cessna T210M, registration PR-ORV, was performing a takeoff roll at the Uberaba Aerodrome (SBUR) in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The flight was intended to proceed to Brasília (SBBR) with the pilot and one passenger on board.
During the takeoff run, the pilot experienced a strong vibration and elected to abort the departure. During this aborted takeoff attempt, the nose landing gear and the right main landing gear retracted unexpectedly. This malfunction caused the aircraft to veer to the right, eventually coming to a stop on the runway. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear, the right main gear, the propeller, and the right wingtip. The occupants remained uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the landing gear shock absorbers to determine the cause of the unintended retraction. The analysis of the nose landing gear struts revealed that the actuator rod was performing below the manufacturer's specified performance parameters.
Technical inspection of the assembly found that an incorrect O-ring, which was not specified in the manufacturer's maintenance manual, had been used during the assembly of the shock absorbers. Additionally, the hydraulic fluid level within the actuator body was found to be lower than the required amount. Investigators were unable to review the maintenance records or procedures from the workshop responsible for the most recent inspection, as that facility had ceased operations.