History of Flight
On September 6, 2014, at 1226 mountain standard time, a Piper PA24-250, registration N5966P, experienced a right main landing gear collapse during the landing roll at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona. The airline transport pilot and one passenger were uninjured. The aircraft, operated by the owner/pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The cross-country flight departed Nephi, Utah, around 0930, with a planned destination of Mesa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that during approach, the right main landing gear would not extend and indicate a locked down position. After conducting a low flyby, the pilot attempted to manually extend the gear but was unable to obtain a safe gear indication. The pilot then performed a normal landing, and during the rollout, the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine experienced no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage. The inspector discovered that the rigging of the two landing gear cables was slightly off. Additionally, the bracket that connected the landing gear transmission to the airframe was broken off; when examined with a magnifying glass, the break did not appear to have occurred recently. With the airplane on jacks and the landing gear cables disconnected, the gear successfully locked down, and the gear could be manually returned to the up position with no restrictions. The inspector determined that the airplane had a gear-up landing in 2001.