Accident Sequence
According to the aircraft operator, the aircraft dropped approximately 10 feet onto the runway during a landing. The touchdown was forceful enough to warrant concern from both the operator and the pilot. After landing, the pilot noted that the landing gear warning horn had activated. He examined the landing gear and bent the squat switches to silence the horn, then conducted a test flight.
During the test flight, before landing, the pilot observed three green gear-down indicator lights. However, during the rollout after landing, the left landing gear collapsed. Before the aircraft came to rest, it struck a sign and three runway lights.
Post-Accident Inspection
The aircraft's landing gear was inspected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a technical representative from Raytheon Aircraft Company. The tech rep reported that the downlock plates were bent as a result of the hard landing. Due to the extent of damage to the landing gear, no preexisting anomalies in those components could be identified.
Maintenance Issues
A review of the aircraft's logbooks revealed that it had not undergone a primary 150-hour inspection since August 1993, rendering it in an unairworthy condition at the time of the accident.