What happened
The pilot was taxiing the aircraft toward the runway for departure when an incident occurred during ground operations. While turning from the taxiway onto the active runway, the left main landing gear collapsed under the weight of the aircraft. The failure happened before takeoff was initiated, meaning the aircraft remained on the ground but sustained damage to its landing gear system.
The investigation
Following the collapse, a post-crash examination of the aircraft was conducted to determine the root cause of the structural failure. Investigators focused on the left landing gear assembly and identified that the landing gear wing rib support bracket had failed. This specific component failure allowed the gear to give way under load.
Findings
The investigation revealed that a Cessna Service Letter, specifically SL-76-2, addressed this known problem with the wing rib support bracket. However, it was determined that the service letter had not been complied with by the owner or operator prior to the incident. The lack of adherence to this service bulletin contributed directly to the structural failure of the landing gear support.