On November 12, 1986, a Beechcraft H18 (registration N925J) operated by ACE Air Cargo Express was involved in an aviation accident near Pittsburgh-Intl, United States of America during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The collapse was caused by fatigue and pre-existing damage leading to a fracture in the right main landing gear fork assembly. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
A single-pilot aircraft experienced a structural failure of the right landing gear leg during its landing roll, resulting in a gear collapse.
What happened
During the landing roll phase of flight, the aircraft's right main landing gear leg underwent a structural breakage. The failure occurred at the specific point where the fork assembly separates from the rest of the gear structure. As the aircraft was decelerating on the runway, the integrity of the gear leg was lost, leading to a collapse of the main gear.
At the time of the incident, the pilot was the only person on board the aircraft. Despite the mechanical failure and subsequent impact associated with the gear collapse, the pilot sustained no injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the structural failure identified several contributing factors related to the condition of the landing gear assembly. The primary findings include:
A fatigue-related issue within the main landing gear components.
The presence of previous damage that likely compromised the strength of the assembly.
A fracture located specifically in the area of the fork assembly separation.
Probable cause
The collapse was caused by fatigue and pre-existing damage leading to a fracture in the right main landing gear fork assembly.