Overview
On May 29, 2015, at approximately 1542 mountain standard time, a Burr Express 2000 RG, registration N44508, sustained a landing gear collapse while landing at Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU) in Glendale, Arizona. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the rudder and elevators. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight had departed GEU around 1500.
Accident Sequence
The pilot reported a normal touchdown on the runway. After applying beta thrust to decelerate and beginning light braking, the left main landing gear suddenly collapsed, causing the airplane to veer left. The aircraft exited the runway surface, and the left wing struck a runway sign. While traversing over dirt, the right landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the tail contacted the ground before the airplane came to a stop.
Examination
A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the left main landing gear actuator heim rod had failed at the junction where the threads meet the rod end. Due to the component's installed position, the inspector could not examine the fracture surface. Additionally, the hydraulic line to the gear actuator was observed to be torn.
Part Availability
The National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-in-charge sought to retrieve the heim rod for further analysis, but the pilot had already repaired the aircraft, and the part was no longer obtainable.