Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
fatigue failure of the right main landing gear during the landing, which resulted in a gear collapse, loss of directional control, and subsequent collision with an embankment.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 21, 1995, about 1550 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310B, airplane, N661R, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during the landing, at the Monticello Airport, Monticello, New York. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed from Sussex, New Jersey. There was no flight plan for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated:
". . .At touchdown on runway 01, the right wheel fell off. . . .Upon leaving blacktop, airplane spun around and stopped beside runway. . . .Upon examination of wheel and strut, a weld broke causing wheel to fall off. . . ."
The pilot reported that the airplane came to rest in a large embankment.
Additionally, the right main landing gear assembly was examined by the National Transportation Safety Board Metallurgist Lab, Washington, District of Columbia. The metallurgist's factual report stated: "Examination of the fracture faces on the received pieces revealed features typical of fatigue cracking adjacent to the inner surface of the weld. The fatigue cracking initiated from multiple origins located at the inboard and outboard sides of the strut assembly. . . .Subsequent examination of the fracture faces revealed no evidence of corrosion pitting either at the fatigue crack origins or in any other areas of the fracture."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC95LA201