What happened
During a positioning flight originating from Puerto Plata, an aircraft experienced a significant mechanical failure immediately following its arrival. As the plane touched down on the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed under the weight of the aircraft.
The resulting impact caused the aircraft to come to a stop on the runway surface. While the incident resulted in no injuries to the five crew members on board, the structural damage sustained during the collapse was severe enough that the aircraft was declared a total loss and deemed beyond repair.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several critical mechanical failures within the landing gear assembly. The primary cause of the incident was an asymmetry in the shock absorption during the landing phase, which led to the failure of the right main gear.
Specific technical findings included:
- A fatigue fracture occurred within the main gear struts and their associated attachments.
- The right main gear truck beam (part number 50-9725-2) suffered a structural failure.
- The separation of the front wheels during the sequence of events.