Cessna 310I N6PK

Summary

On 25 May 2023 at about 19:45 local time, a Cessna 310I registered N6PK was involved in an accident near Sunnyside, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 May 2023 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Sunnyside, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Sunnyside Municipal Airport (1S5)

Coordinates

46.3271, -119.9704

Aircraft

Cessna 310I

Registration

N6PK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moses Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA226

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the side brace lock assembly of the right main landing gear due to overstress as a result of a hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while on final approach he extended the gear, and a green light illuminated signifying that the gear was down. The landing was “firm” and, shortly after touchdown, the airplane’s right main landing gear slowly collapsed, causing the right wing to drop. The airplane veered to the right, exited the runway, and came to rest in a field about 100 ft from the runway centerline. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator. Postaccident examination of the right main landing gear fracture surface revealed that the side brace lock assembly likely fractured due to excessive axial compression loads that resulted in a ductile overstress fracture. Additionally, the bent side brace lock assembly attachment bolt at the lower end of the lock link also indicated that the loads associated with the failure of the attachment pin exceeded the design axial loads for the side brace lock assembly and were consistent with overload of the side brace lock assembly. The bearings and pin that attached the side brace lock to the lower end of the bellcrank, which were not recovered, were likely fractured as a result of the loads. The damage to the gear indicated that it likely failed as a result of the hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.