On October 4, 1985, a Cessna 414 (registration N24ET) was involved in an aviation accident near Sarasota, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The right main landing gear extending beyond its acceptable limits and jamming in the retracted position. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot experienced a malfunction with the right main landing gear, circling to burn fuel before intentionally landing on runway 32 without wheels extended.
What happened
The pilot reported that the right main landing gear failed to extend during the approach phase. To address the situation, he circled the airport for approximately thirty minutes to burn off excess fuel. Following this procedure, he retracted the remaining functional landing gear and intentionally performed a gear-up landing on runway 32.
The investigation
An examination of the right main landing gear assembly revealed that it had extended beyond its acceptable operational limits. This over-extension caused the mechanism to jam in the fully retracted position, preventing normal deployment.
Probable cause
The right main landing gear extending beyond its acceptable limits and jamming in the retracted position.