Accident Details
The pilot positioned the landing gear selector to the 'DOWN' position and observed the nose gear extend via a mirror before landing. During the landing roll, the main landing gear collapsed, the airplane skidded, and came to rest on the runway.
Pilot Actions
Before landing, the pilot did not verify that the green landing gear indicator light was illuminated. A horn was heard prior to landing, but the pilot believed it was the stall warning horn. According to the pilot, he had never heard the landing gear warning horn before this flight.
Wreckage Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the wreckage and found that the landing gear motor circuit breaker was in the tripped position.
Background
The pilot reported that the landing gear motor would occasionally overheat. The president of the flying club had asked pilots to minimize landing gear cycles. Due to past motor problems, the landing gear was kept primarily extended during the pilot's two instructional flights that preceded the accident flight.