Event Description
An aircraft experienced a collapse of its left main landing gear while being taxied to a hangar after landing. The incident occurred without prior indication of mechanical issues.
Investigation Findings
A subsequent investigation focused on the left main landing gear assembly. The left main landing gear spring strut, part number 0741601-1, was found to have failed at the point where it is clamped to the fuselage. A metallurgical examination of the fracture surface identified fatigue cracking that originated from areas where fretting of the strut had occurred at the clamp interface.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft had accumulated a total flight time of 3,300 hours and was estimated to have completed over 3,000 landings at the time of the event.
Conclusion
The collapse was attributed to the structural failure of the left main landing gear spring strut due to fatigue cracking induced by fretting at the clamp location.