Accident Overview
The pilot of the accident airplane reported that the incident occurred during landing at the intended destination airport. The conditions at the time were described as visual weather with light winds. According to the pilot's statement, upon touching down, the left main landing gear collapsed, causing the left wing to make contact with the runway surface. Subsequently, the airplane departed the runway pavement and came to rest in the grass adjacent to the runway, approximately mid-field. During the sequence, the aircraft rotated about 180 degrees and ended up oriented on an approximately reciprocal heading to the landing direction. The right main landing gear also collapsed during the accident sequence.
Pilot Actions and Observations
The pilot stated that verifying landing gear indications was normally part of his before-landing procedure. However, he could not specifically recall observing three green indications (indicating all landing gear down and locked) prior to the accident. This lack of recall leaves uncertainty about whether the gear was properly extended and locked before touchdown.
Post-Accident Examination
A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the lower fuselage in the vicinity of the cabin entry door. Additionally, the inboard landing gear doors exhibited crushing damage consistent with the landing gear being in transit at the time of contact with the runway. The design of the landing gear doors is such that they open when the gear is in transit and close after the gear extension sequence is complete. The presence of crushing damage on the inboard doors suggests that the gear was not fully extended and locked during the landing.
Environmental Conditions
Recorded winds at the time of the accident were 8 knots. The pilot reported that the landing was conducted under visual weather conditions with light winds, consistent with the recorded data.