What happened
During the landing phase of the flight, the aircraft successfully touched down on the runway with all cockpit indicators confirming the landing gear was in the down and locked position. Shortly after the wheels made contact with the pavement, the crew heard the intermittent activation of the landing gear warning horn. Moments later, the right main landing gear collapsed. This failure caused the aircraft to veer toward the right side of the runway, eventually exiting the paved surface. Following the excursion, a fire broke out involving the aircraft. The crew members were able to evacuate the wreckage and sustained no injuries.
Findings
An investigation into the wreckage determined that the collapsing right main landing gear had punctured the right main fuel tank, which led to the fire that consumed much of the right side of the fuselage. A technical inspection of the landing gear assemblies for both the left and right sides revealed that the downlock plates had been installed in a backward orientation. This improper installation resulted in a significantly reduced contact area between the plate and the downlock hook throat. Furthermore, the investigation of the manufacturer's component maintenance manual, which was utilized during the assembly of the gear, showed that the documentation provided no specific instructions regarding the correct orientation for the downlock plates during the installation process.