Incident Overview
On February 16, 2012, at approximately 1509 eastern standard time, a Cessna 402B (registration N402GZ) operated by a private individual experienced a collapse of the right main landing gear during the landing roll at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained minor damage, and neither the airline transport pilot nor the pilot-rated passenger were injured.
Flight Details
The flight originated from FLL at about 1449. According to the pilot, after takeoff he intended to fly to a nearby airport but encountered difficulty establishing two-way communications with the facility. He elected to return to the departure airport for a full stop landing. Prior to touchdown, he extended the landing gear using the normal method and observed three green lights indicating all landing gears were down and locked. After a normal touchdown, while applying the brakes, the right wing slowly lowered.
Post-Incident Examination
A post-incident inspection of the airplane revealed that the right bellcrank assembly and the bolt that secures the bellcrank assembly to the trunnion were fractured. The fractured parts were retained for further examination.
NTSB Materials Laboratory Analysis
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C., examined the fractured bellcrank and bolt. The examination revealed features consistent with overload separation, with no evidence of preexisting cracks or corrosion.