What happened
On 4 September 2005, a Cessna T310R, registration G-VDIR, was performing a private flight when the pilot attempted to land on the grass area adjacent to the runway at North Weald Airfield, Essex. During the landing sequence, the pilot noted that the undercarriage indication in the cockpit did not show the required 'three greens' status.
Upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to subside onto its fuselage. The aircraft slid a short distance across the ground before coming to a halt, at which point the pilot was able to disembark safely. There were no injuries to the pilot during the incident.
The investigation
The investigation involved an examination of the aircraft by an insurance assessor. Following the collapse, the pilot had attempted to fully extend the gear by both electrically cycling the retraction system and using the manual crank mechanism. These efforts were stopped after approximately 30 minutes when an electrical burning smell was detected, and the gear remained in an incorrect position.
Upon lifting and supporting the aircraft, the assessor found that all three landing gears could be manually extended and locked into position. However, the investigation could not establish the definitive cause of the initial malfunction due to deformations in the rods and cranks that comprise the electrically actuated system, which were caused by the impact of the gear collapse itself.