N8059MCessna 310I · 1964

On November 25, 2011, about 0900 mountain standard time, a Cessna 310I, N8059M, sustained substantial damage when its right main landing gear collapsed during the landing roll at Sedona, Arizona. Neither the airline transport pilot nor his three passengers were injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, which had originated from Chandler, Arizona, about 40 minutes before the accident. A flight plan had not been filed.

The pilot said that the flight was uneventful, and he entered the traffic pattern for landing and completed the landing checklist, including lowering the flaps and landing gear. There were no anomalies until, during the landing roll, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane departed the runway. Subsequently, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest on its belly. The airplane’s fuselage structure forward of the cockpit was bent and wrinkled.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector observed and photographed the accident site and recovery of the airplane. Review of the FAA inspector's photographs showed ground scars consistent with the right propeller striking the runway, followed by a continuous scrape mark and tire marks corresponding to the nose and left main landing gears leading to the airplane. The left main inboard gear door appeared to be in the closed position, and the right main inboard gear door was partially open with the outboard portion of the door folded back against the inboard portion of the door. The left and right main gear side braces were both in an unlocked and partially retracted position.

The left main gear was separated from the pivot points that attached it to the wing structure, and the left main landing gear wheel was separated from the gear leg. There were no visible broken or disconnected parts in the left main gear retraction/extension system. The right main landing gear had sustained relatively little damage in comparison to the left main landing gear. The right main gear remained intact, and, with the exception of the control rod for the right main inboard gear door, there were no visible broken or disconnected parts in the right main gear retraction/extension system. The control rod for the right main gear door was bent and separated with a shiny separation surface consistent with an overload failure. The nose landing gear was folded back and to the right. The extent of the impact damage to the landing gear precluded performance of a landing gear extension/retraction test.

According to a representative of the airplane's manufacturer, the inboard main landing gear doors are closed when the landing gear is in both the up and down positions. The doors are only open when the landing gear is in transition.