Flight and Initial Gear Problem
On the first flight following an annual inspection, conducted at night in visual meteorological conditions, the pilot attempted to retract the airplane's landing gear. The gear failed to fully retract or extend. The pilot then tried to extend the landing gear using the emergency manual extension hand pump, but reported that the pump handle was locked solid and would not move. Additionally, the selector handle would not recenter as expected, and the landing gear extended cockpit indication did not illuminate.
Return and Landing
The pilot decided to return to the departure airport. During a flyby, the air traffic control tower controller reported that all three landing gear appeared to be down. However, the pilot's wife, seated in the right seat, stated that she could not see a wheel on that side of the airplane. During the subsequent landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, the right wing contacted the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the right.
Post-Accident Inspection
The aircraft had been delivered for the annual inspection with a landing gear extension discrepancy. A misrigging problem on the left main landing gear was identified and repaired, and the gear was satisfactorily cycled ten times using an external hydraulic pressure source (mule). Inspection after the accident revealed that the engine-driven hydraulic pump produced deficient output, insufficient to operate the gear. The emergency hand pump and emergency gear extension system operated normally during testing.
The maintenance facility manager speculated that the pilot's inability to use the emergency hand pump may have been due to not fully extending the telescoping handle shaft, which, if not fully extended, prevents handle movement and can feel like a hydraulic lock.