What happened
The incident occurred during a routine flight operation involving a touch-and-go landing sequence. As the pilot initiated the takeoff roll following the touchdown, the aircraft's nose gear unexpectedly retracted into the fuselage. This mechanical action coincided with the moment of rotation, the point at which the aircraft lifts its nose off the runway.
Upon realizing the gear was no longer supporting the front of the aircraft, the pilot immediately reduced engine power to idle. Without the structural support of the nose landing gear, the aircraft could not maintain normal flight dynamics or continue the takeoff. The plane slid along the runway surface until it came to a complete stop. There were no reports of injuries to the occupants during this event.
The investigation
Following the incident, investigators conducted a thorough examination of the aircraft's landing gear system to determine why the nose gear had retracted while the aircraft was still on the ground. Modern aircraft are typically equipped with squat switches, which are sensors designed to prevent gear retraction when the weight of the aircraft compresses the landing gear struts. These switches signal the system that the plane is grounded.
Testing of the retraction system revealed no malfunction. The electrical and mechanical components responsible for locking the gear in the down position appeared to function correctly according to design specifications. The investigation could not identify a specific mechanical failure within the gear mechanism itself.