Cessna 310 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, July 10, 2009
On July 10, 2009 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered N3106L, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (into takeoff position) near Fort Worth, Texas (Fort Worth Alliance airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pivot pin in the side brace of the right main landing gear resulting in the gear collapse during taxi for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2009 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · Fort Worth Alliance · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 J · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N3106L · no longer on the register · serial 310J0106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot had been holding short of the runway and was taxiing onto the runway to begin his takeoff from a standing start. As the airplane was half way through its 90 degree left turn the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing and the right horizontal stabilizer struck the ground. There was substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot, who was the only occupant, was not injured. The FAA inspector who responded to the accident scene said the pivot pin was missing from the bellcrank on the right main landing gear side brace lock link. According to maintenance records this airplane had flown only four hours in the previous 40 months. The airplane had flown two hours in the nine days since the most recent annual inspection had been completed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during taxi (into takeoff position) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Malfunction
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,508 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 3,244 as pilot in command; 1,021 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 30, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2009; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFW Fort Worth TX
- Destination: RVS Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 8,220 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 104°F (40°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 10:18 pm from AFW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3106L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.