What happened
On October 28, 2022, a Cessna 310N, registration LV-JJJ, departed from La Plata Airport in Buenos Aires province for a recreational flight to Berazategui. Shortly after takeoff, while the pilot was retracting the landing gear, a loud noise was heard from the front of the aircraft. The pilot observed that the nose gear had failed to extend, as indicated by the absence of the green "down and locked" light on the instrument panel.
Despite attempts to cycle the gear and utilizing the manual emergency extension system, the nose gear remained retracted. The pilot subsequently performed an emergency landing at La Plata Airport. During the landing roll, the main gear maintained contact with the runway, but as the aircraft slowed, the nose descended. This caused the propellers of both engines to strike the asphalt, resulting in light damage to the aircraft' and the nose gear doors. The pilot exited the aircraft without injury.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the nose gear assembly. Investigators examined the aircraft at a maintenance facility, where they discovered that the pivot bolt responsible for operating the nose gear door mechanism had broken and was displaced from its housing. No evidence of corrosion or pre-existing degradation was found on the bolt.
Following the incident, the maintenance workshop replaced 16 different components, including the nose gear assembly, the aerodynamic door, and the retraction mechanism. The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance history, noting that an annual inspection had been completed just one day prior to the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the malfunction was the unexpected breakage of the bolt that operates the nose gear door pivot.
- The failure of this bolt left the nose gear door loose, allowing aerodynamic pressure to push the door into a closed position.
- When the pilot retracted the gear after takeoff, the door was pulled into the wheel well along with the nose gear, physically blocking the gear from extending during the subsequent landing attempt.