Narrative:

Departed xyz on flight home to aircraft home base ZZZ with family on board. Upon gear retraction on departure, a loud and abnormal 'bang' was heard from beneath the floorboards under my feet. Knowing the somewhat troubling issues with the cessna 300/400 series landing gear (having purchased and read the aviation safety report on the C-310), I had a terrible sinking feeling that this had the potential to turn ugly at arrival. An amber 'gear up' indication made me feel a little bit better, but anticipated the worst upon arrival at ZZZ. Indeed, upon contacting ZZZ tower on arrival (timing couldn't have been worse, as is was just prior to the opening of a large event at the airport), I selected 'gear down' and got good indication on the mains, but nothing on the nose gear. Notified tower of the problem and that we wanted to orbit to deal with the problem. After re-cycling the gear normally several times and swapping light bulbs, resorted to the emergency checklist for landing gear extension problems. After having run those drills several times to no avail, and having stayed in contact with ZZZ tower this whole time. On further discussion with ZZZ tower (who had so graciously given us their ground frequency to utilize 100% to ourselves during all of these conversations) we agreed that a fly-by was in order, just to confirm everything we were thinking. Indeed, the fly-by proved that the gear was trailing underneath the aircraft, and that basically no amount of maneuvering would force the gear to swing forward into the slipstream and lock down. After discussing at length our options, we as a team, decided that the better option for landing would be in ZZZ1. When we felt we were ready, we switched over to ZZZ1 tower frequency, and continued with the discussions we'd been having with the folks in ZZZ. ZZZ1 tower notified crash fire rescue equipment for us, and once we had visual confirmation of the crash trucks on the txwys, elected to fly over one time at high altitude, so we could rehearse each step of our plan. We talked with ZZZ1 tower and crash fire rescue equipment, notifying them of the positions of our children, and instructions on how to unbuckle them from their car seats in case we were somehow incapacitated after the crash landing. Knowing there was nothing else we could do, we landed on runway 29 in ZZZ1 in calm winds. All went exactly as we had all planned it, and we evacuated the aircraft in record time. There was no fire on the aircraft, and we then switched into 'recovery' mode. Inspection by local mechanics found that the push tube that extends the gear had broken into two pieces, right at a hole where a rivet attaches the push tube to another fitting. These pieces are undergoing metallurgical examination at this time. The aircraft had recently undergone its annual inspection, with nothing truly noteworthy to mention. Aircraft has over 4200 hours total time, and I'm under the assumption that the push tube has been on this aircraft since it was built. The frustrating part of all this is that the emergency extension system utilizes the exact same push tube that the normal system does. The emergency extension system is there basically in case of an electrical problem and the gear won't extend electrically. Also frustrating is that in all of the part 25 aircraft I've flown, the slipstream helps to force the nose landing gear down, and in some cases, even the main gear legs. This is not the case in the cessna 310, which is most unfortunate. Some aircraft utilize a nitrogen 'blow-down' type of back-up system, but again, not in the cessna 310 ranks. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the landing went pretty smooth but the aircraft incurred damage to both propellers and some skin damage. The reporter stated there is no current airworthiness directive on this nose gear, but there is a very good article in the aviation magazine on the cessna 310 nose gear.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C310L IN DSCNT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO NOSE LNDG GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND. LANDED WITH NOSE GEAR NOT LOCKED DOWN.

Narrative: DEPARTED XYZ ON FLT HOME TO ACFT HOME BASE ZZZ WITH FAMILY ON BOARD. UPON GEAR RETRACTION ON DEPARTURE, A LOUD AND ABNORMAL 'BANG' WAS HEARD FROM BENEATH THE FLOORBOARDS UNDER MY FEET. KNOWING THE SOMEWHAT TROUBLING ISSUES WITH THE CESSNA 300/400 SERIES LNDG GEAR (HAVING PURCHASED AND READ THE AVIATION SAFETY RPT ON THE C-310), I HAD A TERRIBLE SINKING FEELING THAT THIS HAD THE POTENTIAL TO TURN UGLY AT ARR. AN AMBER 'GEAR UP' INDICATION MADE ME FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT ANTICIPATED THE WORST UPON ARR AT ZZZ. INDEED, UPON CONTACTING ZZZ TWR ON ARR (TIMING COULDN'T HAVE BEEN WORSE, AS IS WAS JUST PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF A LARGE EVENT AT THE ARPT), I SELECTED 'GEAR DOWN' AND GOT GOOD INDICATION ON THE MAINS, BUT NOTHING ON THE NOSE GEAR. NOTIFIED TWR OF THE PROB AND THAT WE WANTED TO ORBIT TO DEAL WITH THE PROB. AFTER RE-CYCLING THE GEAR NORMALLY SEVERAL TIMES AND SWAPPING LIGHT BULBS, RESORTED TO THE EMER CHKLIST FOR LNDG GEAR EXTENSION PROBS. AFTER HAVING RUN THOSE DRILLS SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL, AND HAVING STAYED IN CONTACT WITH ZZZ TWR THIS WHOLE TIME. ON FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH ZZZ TWR (WHO HAD SO GRACIOUSLY GIVEN US THEIR GND FREQ TO UTILIZE 100% TO OURSELVES DURING ALL OF THESE CONVERSATIONS) WE AGREED THAT A FLY-BY WAS IN ORDER, JUST TO CONFIRM EVERYTHING WE WERE THINKING. INDEED, THE FLY-BY PROVED THAT THE GEAR WAS TRAILING UNDERNEATH THE ACFT, AND THAT BASICALLY NO AMOUNT OF MANEUVERING WOULD FORCE THE GEAR TO SWING FORWARD INTO THE SLIPSTREAM AND LOCK DOWN. AFTER DISCUSSING AT LENGTH OUR OPTIONS, WE AS A TEAM, DECIDED THAT THE BETTER OPTION FOR LNDG WOULD BE IN ZZZ1. WHEN WE FELT WE WERE READY, WE SWITCHED OVER TO ZZZ1 TWR FREQ, AND CONTINUED WITH THE DISCUSSIONS WE'D BEEN HAVING WITH THE FOLKS IN ZZZ. ZZZ1 TWR NOTIFIED CFR FOR US, AND ONCE WE HAD VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF THE CRASH TRUCKS ON THE TXWYS, ELECTED TO FLY OVER ONE TIME AT HIGH ALT, SO WE COULD REHEARSE EACH STEP OF OUR PLAN. WE TALKED WITH ZZZ1 TWR AND CFR, NOTIFYING THEM OF THE POSITIONS OF OUR CHILDREN, AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO UNBUCKLE THEM FROM THEIR CAR SEATS IN CASE WE WERE SOMEHOW INCAPACITATED AFTER THE CRASH LNDG. KNOWING THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE WE COULD DO, WE LANDED ON RWY 29 IN ZZZ1 IN CALM WINDS. ALL WENT EXACTLY AS WE HAD ALL PLANNED IT, AND WE EVACUATED THE ACFT IN RECORD TIME. THERE WAS NO FIRE ON THE ACFT, AND WE THEN SWITCHED INTO 'RECOVERY' MODE. INSPECTION BY LOCAL MECHANICS FOUND THAT THE PUSH TUBE THAT EXTENDS THE GEAR HAD BROKEN INTO TWO PIECES, RIGHT AT A HOLE WHERE A RIVET ATTACHES THE PUSH TUBE TO ANOTHER FITTING. THESE PIECES ARE UNDERGOING METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION AT THIS TIME. THE ACFT HAD RECENTLY UNDERGONE ITS ANNUAL INSPECTION, WITH NOTHING TRULY NOTEWORTHY TO MENTION. ACFT HAS OVER 4200 HOURS TOTAL TIME, AND I'M UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE PUSH TUBE HAS BEEN ON THIS ACFT SINCE IT WAS BUILT. THE FRUSTRATING PART OF ALL THIS IS THAT THE EMER EXTENSION SYSTEM UTILIZES THE EXACT SAME PUSH TUBE THAT THE NORMAL SYSTEM DOES. THE EMER EXTENSION SYSTEM IS THERE BASICALLY IN CASE OF AN ELECTRICAL PROB AND THE GEAR WON'T EXTEND ELECTRICALLY. ALSO FRUSTRATING IS THAT IN ALL OF THE PART 25 ACFT I'VE FLOWN, THE SLIPSTREAM HELPS TO FORCE THE NOSE LNDG GEAR DOWN, AND IN SOME CASES, EVEN THE MAIN GEAR LEGS. THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN THE CESSNA 310, WHICH IS MOST UNFORTUNATE. SOME ACFT UTILIZE A NITROGEN 'BLOW-DOWN' TYPE OF BACK-UP SYSTEM, BUT AGAIN, NOT IN THE CESSNA 310 RANKS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE LNDG WENT PRETTY SMOOTH BUT THE ACFT INCURRED DAMAGE TO BOTH PROPELLERS AND SOME SKIN DAMAGE. THE RPTR STATED THERE IS NO CURRENT AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE ON THIS NOSE GEAR, BUT THERE IS A VERY GOOD ARTICLE IN THE AVIATION MAGAZINE ON THE CESSNA 310 NOSE GEAR.

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.