What happened
On June 18, 2013, an Israel Aircraft Industries 1124, registration N112EM, was involved in a landing gear collapse at Cincinnati Municipal Airport (KLUK) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The aircraft, operated by E. Micah Aviation Incorporated, was being used for an instructional flight involving a flight instructor, a student pilot, and a pilot-rated passenger.
During the flight, the crew briefed an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 21L. After completing the approach, the flight instructor requested and received clearance for an "option," which included the possibility of a touch-and-go landing. The student pilot, who was performing his first landing in this specific aircraft type, was being coached by the instructor throughout the process.
As the aircraft touched down, the cockpit voice recorder captured a trim movement buzzer for 8.5 seconds. Following the touchdown, the flight instructor directed the crew to continue with a touch-and-go. During the subsequent takeoff attempt, the aircraft did not successfully lift off and instead settled back onto the runway. The aircraft banked to the right, causing the right wingtip to contact the runway, followed by a left yaw that resulted in the collapse of the left landing gear. The aircraft then skidded along the runway before coming to a stop.
There were no injuries reported following the accident.
The investigation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel examined the landing gear system. The investigation found that the landing gear retracted outward into the strut and wheel well, and was secured in the down position by side and jury brace assemblies. During the recovery process, the left landing gear dropped into the down and locked position by gravity alone, and no damage was found on the gear or the brace assemblies.
Testing of the landing gear on jacks revealed no mechanical anomalies. The clearance between the piston plunger end of the unlock cylinder and the unlock tang was found to be within the correct specifications according to the manufacturer's maintenance manual. Additionally, a review of manufacturer records and NTSB data showed no similar landing gear incidents involving the IAI 1124.