What happened
The aircraft was operating a flight from Miami, Florida, destined for Cancun, Mexico. During this transit, the pilot decided to make an en route stop at Key West, Florida, to assess weather conditions. While executing the landing at Key West, the left main landing gear collapsed upon touchdown.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed significant wear patterns on both the landing gear and the fuselage structure near the upper end of the main landing gear spring installations. Specifically, the fillet plate and seal surrounding the upper end of the left landing gear spring were found to be deformed and shattered. Additionally, the spring attachment bolt had completely separated from the fuselage structure.
Findings
It was reported that the aircraft had undergone numerous landings on rough fields in Central America. The owner of the aircraft resided in Costa Rica; however, his log books and maintenance records were not available for examination during the investigation.