Incident
During the initial climb at about 150 feet above ground, while the landing gear was being retracted, the airplane struck a flock of medium-sized birds. The landing gear unlock indicator remained illuminated, and the landing gear handle would not return to the up neutral position. The pilot noted no degradation of performance and chose to continue to the destination.
About 20 miles from the airport, the pilot attempted to lower the landing gear but was unsuccessful. He contacted ground maintenance personnel, who visually verified that the nose and right main landing gear were down. The pilot performed the emergency gear extension checklist and noted little to no resistance on the hand pump. After multiple attempts, Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Support was requested. The pilot subsequently received clearance to land.
During the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing impacted the ground.
Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination revealed snarge on both horizontal stabilizers, the left wing, and the fuselage. It was noted that the right inboard main landing gear door actuator hose had failed.