What happened
Following a touch-and-go maneuver at Gatwick Airport, the crew of the aircraft observed that the right main landing gear failed to lock into position. In an attempt to rectify the issue, the pilot performed a gear cycle. After this procedure, a visual inspection suggested that the gear had successfully retracted.
However, during the approach for the subsequent landing, the right main gear warning light remained illuminated in the cockpit. The crew attempted several recovery methods to secure the gear, including cycling the landing gear multiple times and performing high-g turns. Further efforts, such as utilizing the manual hand pump and attempting to touch the runway surface to trigger the mechanism, proved unsuccessful. Due to the continued failure of the gear to lock, the decision was made to execute a wheels-up landing on a foam-covered runway at Manston.
Findings
The investigation determined that the starboard undercarriage pin had suffered a fracture and subsequently fell from its housing. This mechanical failure caused the assembly to drop due to gravity, which prevented the up-lock catch from disengaging from the pin on the landing gear leg.