What happened
On 9 April 2007, a Beech Super King Air 200, registered VH-SGT, was engaged in a chartered flight from Perth to Mount Hale, Western Australia. Shortly after departing from Perth, the flight crew identified a malfunction within the landing gear system. Specifically, the nose gear and the main wheels became stuck in a position that prevented them from fully retracting or extending.
In an attempt to resolve the issue, the pilot performed the necessary emergency procedures outlined in the Aircraft Flight Manual. Efforts to operate the gear via the automated controls were unsuccessful, and the manual emergency extension system also failed to function. The pilot even requested that a passenger assist by applying force to the manual extension lever, but the gear remained jammed.
To assess the situation, the pilot coordinated with air traffic services and requested that company engineers perform visual inspections from the air. Following two low-altitude passes over the airfield and a two-hour holding pattern near Rottnest Island at 5,000 feet, the pilot decided to return to Perth. Upon touchdown on Runway 24, the partially retracted left and right main landing gear assemblies collapsed. While the aircraft sustained substantial damage, there were no injuries reported among the pilot or the nine passengers on board.
Findings
- The landing gear system experienced a mechanical failure that prevented both the automated and manual emergency extension methods from working.
- The main landing gear assemblies collapsed upon touchdown because the gear remained stuck in a partially retracted position.