Incident Description
The aircraft was flown on several legs following recent maintenance. After extending the landing gear on a previous flight, the owner heard a popping noise, although the gear extended normally. The president of the maintenance facility advised that the noise was normal. On the subsequent flight, the en route portion was uneventful, but after extending the landing gear, the same popping noise was heard. During the landing roll after touchdown, the landing gear collapsed. The aircraft was subsequently ferried to a facility for repairs.
Maintenance History
Two days before the incident, the landing gear actuator and components of the landing gear were replaced, and the landing gear rigging was checked. The aircraft was then flown on several legs without further reported issues until the popping noise was noted.
Examination Findings
Examination of the landing gear revealed that the landing gear actuator support bracket had failed in tension overload. This failure was consistent with the collapse of the gear during the landing roll.