What happened
On 17 May 1998, an Auster 5J4/100, registration G-AIJT, was conducting a private training flight at Perth Airport, Scotland. The flight originated from Insch, where the crew had been operating from their base. The purpose of the flight was to practice circuit flying.
During the seventh circuit of the pattern, the handling pilot performed a flare that was slightly too high. As the aircraft was drifting toward the left side of the runway, the left mainwheel bounced upon contact with the tarmac. This contact caused the aircraft to rebound into the air with a right-hand bank. Although the pilot attempted to level the wings, the aircraft struck the runway heavily on the right mainwheel during the second touchdown. The force of this impact caused the right main landing gear bracing strut to fracture, leading to a collapse of the gear leg. The resulting drag pulled the aircraft into a slow-rate ground loop to the right, eventually coming to a stop on the runway. While the right wing tip fabric was damaged by contact with the ground, the propeller did not strike the runway. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of the landing, noting the aircraft's lateral drift and the subsequent bounce. The physical damage to the aircraft, specifically the fractured bracing strut, was analyzed to determine the mechanism of the gear collapse.