Accident Overview
On March 16, 1983, the pilot of a recently purchased aircraft (acquired February 28, 1983) encountered a landing gear malfunction. After takeoff, the pilot attempted to retract the landing gear. Although the indicators showed that the gear had retracted, the pilot noted that the normal sound of gear retraction was absent. To verify the gear position, the pilot flew past the control tower, where personnel reported that the landing gear appeared to be extended.
During the subsequent landing, the right main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft departed the runway and struck a runway light. The pilot had not used the manual gear extension system, which would have positioned the gear in the down and locked configuration.
Investigation Findings
An investigation revealed that the gear control relay and airspeed switch contacts were corroded, pitted, and/or scored. After these components were replaced, the landing gear operated normally. No other contributing factors were identified in the source material.