What happened
The aircraft experienced a collapse of the right main landing gear while attempting to land. Prior to the impact, several attempts were made by the crew to secure the landing gear into the fully down and locked position, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
The investigation
Following the incident, the aircraft was placed on jacks for a detailed mechanical inspection. Technicians disconnected the rod end of the landing gear assembly. Upon retraction of the gear during this test, the drag link was observed to lock down over center and meet specified tolerance requirements. During the retraction process, the down lock switch could be heard clicking before the drag link fully locked over center.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary failure was the collapse of the right main landing gear during the landing phase. The mechanical inspection confirmed that while the drag link mechanism functioned correctly under test conditions on jacks, the operational failure occurred during the actual landing sequence. Damage to the aircraft structure was limited to impact damage resulting from the collapsing gear, excluding the rod end which had been disconnected for testing.
Safety message
This incident highlights the critical importance of verifying landing gear indication and mechanical lock status before touchdown, particularly when multiple extension attempts are required.