Narrative:

I had my annual completed on 5/sat/04 and was on my 4TH flight since then. After departing the airport, I turned north and saw a tour plane and made contact with it to assure clearance. Shortly thereafter, I switched to the ZZZ1 frequency and the same tour plane contacted me and told me ZZZ was trying to contact me, they believed something fell off the airplane. I turned back to ZZZ and made contact. They informed me that a neighbor saw a wheel fall off. I made a pass over the runway approximately 50 ft with gear down to verify if the gear was still intact. A ground observer confirmed I was missing my left main wheel and tire. I climbed up to 6500 ft to evaluate the situation and make some decisions about landing. We decided to land at ZZZ2. Reasoning is the beginning of that runway had more of an incline and I was in hopes that it would assist in slowing us down. The winds were calm at that point too. I radioed the FBO at ZZZ2 and told them of the situation. They were cooperative and were redirecting traffic immediately. The fire department was called and they asked if I could wait until the fire department was ready. That was not a problem, the plane had plenty (25-30 gals) of fuel. I decided the safest way to land would be to leave the gear up and full flaps. I went through my mind and the order of tasks I was going to perform when I was going to land the airplane. The children were told what was happening and then when the fire department was ready, I descended to pattern altitude and performed normal left hand traffic pattern for runway 14. When I knew the runway was made I secured electrical power and pulled mixture all of the way out. I touched down at the beginning of the numbers and slid approximately 673 ft. The wheel and tire was found and brought to the airport. I immediately took off the wheel cover and found the castle nut, bearing, spacer, seal. It appears there was not a cotter pin installed to retain the nut. We jacked up the airplane borrowed a wheel and tire and rolled the airplane off of the runway. Everyone onboard was fine and minor damage to the airplane. The propeller was still turning so the propeller is bent. The front tire held the front of the airplane off the ground because when retracted, it sticks out 4-6 ft. The flaps and the flap hinge/hangers kept the rest of the airplane off of the runway. The belly did not make contact with the runway. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said the airplane did not sustain serious damage but videos taken prior to touchdown showed the propeller was still turning. The reporter stated when on jacks, the right wheel was pulled off and no cotter pin was installed in that axle nut, so both main gear castelated axle nuts were missing cotter pins. The reporter said no wheel and tire removal work has been done since the annual inspection.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A RYAN NAVION SHORTLY AFTER TKOF DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO BEING ADVISED THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY FELL OFF. FOUND NO COTTER PINS INSTALLED IN L AND R WHEEL AXLE NUTS.

Narrative: I HAD MY ANNUAL COMPLETED ON 5/SAT/04 AND WAS ON MY 4TH FLT SINCE THEN. AFTER DEPARTING THE ARPT, I TURNED N AND SAW A TOUR PLANE AND MADE CONTACT WITH IT TO ASSURE CLRNC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I SWITCHED TO THE ZZZ1 FREQ AND THE SAME TOUR PLANE CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME ZZZ WAS TRYING TO CONTACT ME, THEY BELIEVED SOMETHING FELL OFF THE AIRPLANE. I TURNED BACK TO ZZZ AND MADE CONTACT. THEY INFORMED ME THAT A NEIGHBOR SAW A WHEEL FALL OFF. I MADE A PASS OVER THE RWY APPROX 50 FT WITH GEAR DOWN TO VERIFY IF THE GEAR WAS STILL INTACT. A GND OBSERVER CONFIRMED I WAS MISSING MY L MAIN WHEEL AND TIRE. I CLBED UP TO 6500 FT TO EVALUATE THE SIT AND MAKE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT LNDG. WE DECIDED TO LAND AT ZZZ2. REASONING IS THE BEGINNING OF THAT RWY HAD MORE OF AN INCLINE AND I WAS IN HOPES THAT IT WOULD ASSIST IN SLOWING US DOWN. THE WINDS WERE CALM AT THAT POINT TOO. I RADIOED THE FBO AT ZZZ2 AND TOLD THEM OF THE SIT. THEY WERE COOPERATIVE AND WERE REDIRECTING TFC IMMEDIATELY. THE FIRE DEPT WAS CALLED AND THEY ASKED IF I COULD WAIT UNTIL THE FIRE DEPT WAS READY. THAT WAS NOT A PROB, THE PLANE HAD PLENTY (25-30 GALS) OF FUEL. I DECIDED THE SAFEST WAY TO LAND WOULD BE TO LEAVE THE GEAR UP AND FULL FLAPS. I WENT THROUGH MY MIND AND THE ORDER OF TASKS I WAS GOING TO PERFORM WHEN I WAS GOING TO LAND THE AIRPLANE. THE CHILDREN WERE TOLD WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND THEN WHEN THE FIRE DEPT WAS READY, I DSNDED TO PATTERN ALT AND PERFORMED NORMAL L HAND TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 14. WHEN I KNEW THE RWY WAS MADE I SECURED ELECTRICAL POWER AND PULLED MIXTURE ALL OF THE WAY OUT. I TOUCHED DOWN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NUMBERS AND SLID APPROX 673 FT. THE WHEEL AND TIRE WAS FOUND AND BROUGHT TO THE ARPT. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK OFF THE WHEEL COVER AND FOUND THE CASTLE NUT, BEARING, SPACER, SEAL. IT APPEARS THERE WAS NOT A COTTER PIN INSTALLED TO RETAIN THE NUT. WE JACKED UP THE AIRPLANE BORROWED A WHEEL AND TIRE AND ROLLED THE AIRPLANE OFF OF THE RWY. EVERYONE ONBOARD WAS FINE AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE. THE PROPELLER WAS STILL TURNING SO THE PROPELLER IS BENT. THE FRONT TIRE HELD THE FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE OFF THE GND BECAUSE WHEN RETRACTED, IT STICKS OUT 4-6 FT. THE FLAPS AND THE FLAP HINGE/HANGERS KEPT THE REST OF THE AIRPLANE OFF OF THE RWY. THE BELLY DID NOT MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RWY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE DID NOT SUSTAIN SERIOUS DAMAGE BUT VIDEOS TAKEN PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN SHOWED THE PROP WAS STILL TURNING. THE RPTR STATED WHEN ON JACKS, THE R WHEEL WAS PULLED OFF AND NO COTTER PIN WAS INSTALLED IN THAT AXLE NUT, SO BOTH MAIN GEAR CASTELATED AXLE NUTS WERE MISSING COTTER PINS. THE RPTR SAID NO WHEEL AND TIRE REMOVAL WORK HAS BEEN DONE SINCE THE ANNUAL INSPECTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.