Cessna: 310L; Cracked Wheel; ATA 3246
A mechanic writes, “Upon changing a tire on a Cleveland wheel assembly on this aircraft, it was discovered the wheel half holding the bearing race was cracking. It had cracked over 180 degrees around the opening, which eventually could have [led] to a serious accident.”
Contact with the aircraft owner provided additional discussion and two excellent photos. Don Higgins writes, “Some tips for owners and mechanics: we noticed the first indication of this problem as uneven tire wear. When we had [our mechanics] turn the tire 180 degrees to even out the wear, they found the loose race [prompting] them to look further. The wheel crack was [then] found, [having progressed] more than 180 degrees around the axle hole. My suggestion is anytime a wheel is off the axle, not only do the bearings need to be checked, but also the races. If the race is loose the tire needs to be pulled apart and checked to see if there is a crack causing the race to loosen up.”
“Cessna 310s touch down in the 90 knot range. To have a wheel assembly fail (as this one was working up to) would render the aircraft uncontrollable and easily cause injury or death to the pilot/passengers.” (Provided wheel P/N’s are 199-64 and/or 40-40A.) More