What happened
The incident occurred while an aircraft was conducting a takeoff roll from Johnson County Executive Airport. According to the pilot in command, the left main landing gear collapsed during the acceleration phase. The collapse caused the aircraft to impact the runway surface and subsequently veer off into soft terrain adjacent to the paved area.
The investigation
Post-accident inspection of the aircraft revealed a critical mechanical anomaly related to the landing gear system. When electrical power was applied and the gear switch was positioned in the down setting, the landing gear unexpectedly retracted. This behavior was not consistent with normal operation.
The pilot noted that just before rotation, the gear collapsed. Crucially, during both the initial test where the gear retracted and the subsequent collapse, the squat switch was not engaged. Despite these mechanical failures, the pilot reported seeing only normal gear down and locked indications in the cockpit prior to the main gear collapse.
Repeated attempts to replicate the initial retraction issue after the first test could not duplicate the situation, suggesting an intermittent fault or a specific condition related to the initial power-up sequence.