A C310 AFTER TKOF DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE NOSE GEAR TO FULLY RETRACT OR EXTEND. INCURRED DAMAGE TO ACFT IN EMER LNDG AT GSO.

Narrative

UPON DEP FROM BASE ARPT (ROWAN COUNTY; NC) A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD BY BOTH PLT AND PAX DURING THE LNDG GEAR RETRACTION. PLT ALSO FELT A BUMP UNDER PLT'S SEAT. THIS IS WHERE THE LNDG GEAR RETRACTION/EXTENSION GEAR BOX IS LOCATED. THROUGH THE MIRRORS MOUNTED ON THE WINGTIP TANKS; PLT OBSERVED THAT THE 2 MAIN LNDG GEAR WERE FULLY RETRACTED INTO THE WINGS; BUT THE NOSE GEAR WAS ONLY PARTLY RETRACTED. CYCLING THE GEAR AND VARIOUS AIRWORK WOULD NOT CHANGE THE POS OF THE NOSE GEAR. PLT CONTACTED FBO AT XYZ ON COMMERCIAL RADIO FREQ FOR MAINT ASSISTANCE. PLT ALSO FLEW TOWARDS GREENSBORO; CONTACTED APCH; DECLARED AN EMER; AND REQUESTED EMER EQUIP. COMS WITH FBO AT ZZZ YIELDED NO ADDITIONAL HELP. SURFACE WINDS WERE 230 DEGS AT 12 KTS. A FLY-BY OF THE TWR WAS PERFORMED TO VERIFY POS OF ALL 3 GEAR. A PWRED APCH WAS MADE TO THE MAIN WHEELS; THEN LOWERING NOSE TO GND. SOME NOSE CONE DAMAGE OCCURRED; AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO BOTH PROPS. FAA; UPON INSPECTION; IS CALLING THIS AN INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE NOSE GEAR FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN NOSE GEAR IDLER BELL CRANK WHICH HAD NO EVIDENCE OF WEAR. THE RPTR SAID THE GEAR WAS IN PROPER RIG AND WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE BELL CRANK FAILURE.