Flight Details
The flight departed Wadesboro, North Carolina, with a planned fuel stop in Ahoskie, North Carolina, en route to Newport News, Virginia.
Incident Sequence
Upon arriving in Newport News, the pilot attempted to lower the landing gear and received an unsafe landing gear indication. Normal and emergency procedures for retraction of the landing gear were unsuccessful. The pilot elected to divert to Southern Pines, North Carolina. He performed a wheels-up landing on the grass between the two runways. During landing rollout, the aircraft impacted a ditch.
Examination Findings
An examination of the airplane revealed that the strap bracket assembly was missing the nut that attaches it to the main landing gear spring attachment bracket. As a result, the left landing gear had come loose and reversed direction, preventing the landing gear from fully extending and locking in the down position.
Probable Cause
The missing nut on the strap bracket assembly allowed the left landing gear to come loose and reverse direction, preventing full extension and locking.