What happened
The pilot was performing touch-and-go landings in the local pattern when the accident occurred. Following the touchdown of the third landing, the pilot applied power for takeoff and attempted to raise the flap lever. However, the pilot inadvertently raised the landing gear lever instead.
As a result of this action, the right main landing gear collapsed, causing the Cessna 401 to skid off the runway. The pilot was not injured.
Findings
The investigation identified a significant difference in cockpit ergonomics between the aircraft involved and the pilot's previous experience. Prior to the accident, the pilot had flown a total of 697 hours, with 676 of those hours logged in a Beech Bonanza. In contrast, the pilot had only 16 hours of flight time in the Cessna 401, and only 2 hours of flight time in that specific aircraft within the 90 days preceding the event.
Crucially, the landing gear lever on the Cessna 401 is positioned in the same location as the flap lever on the Beech Bonanza, which contributed to the pilot's error during the transition from power application to flap retraction.