Incident Overview
The left main landing gear of an airplane collapsed during the landing sequence. The airplane and its landing gear system were subsequently inspected. No anomalies were found that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. All fractured portions of the landing gear system exhibited signatures consistent with overload failure.
Investigation
The investigation focused on the wreckage and maintenance history. The fractured components showed overload characteristics, without indication of prior damage or manufacturing defects. The inspection did not reveal any evidence of mechanical failure predating the landing event.
Prior Occurrences
The airplane's left main landing gear had collapsed on two previous occasions. The first occurred on June 27, 1998, and the cause of that collapse was undetermined. The second occurred on May 15, 2000, and was attributed to the failure of a through-bolt in the gear retraction linkage. The accident flight was the second flight since the maintenance release for the damages incurred during the May 15, 2000, incident. The first flight after maintenance was a test flight, during which no anomalies were noted.