History of the flight
The handling pilot was conducting circuits as part of a Europa conversion course, accompanied by an instructor. Pre-landing checks were completed, and both pilots confirmed that the gear lever was in the down and latched position. Following a firm landing on Runway 23 (grass), the aircraft rolled on its wheels for approximately 15 to 20 metres before the mainwheel, connected outrigger wheels, and flaps retracted. The aircraft then travelled an additional 180 metres on its belly before coming to a rest. The crew vacated the aircraft unassisted.
Landing gear description
The landing gear on this aircraft type consists of a single retractable mainwheel, two retractable outrigger wheels under the outboard wing sections, and a fixed tailwheel. The flaps and outrigger wheels are attached to the same linkage. The gear lever operates the mainwheel, outrigger wheels, and flaps in unison. The lever attaches directly to the gear operating linkage, which incorporates an over-centre mechanism. To extend the gear, the lever is pulled aft until it engages a gate. A safety latch is attached to the lever, designed to rotate under its own weight into a guide slot to prevent inadvertent movement out of the gate. A positive action is required to move the latch out of the slot before the lever can be moved.
The instructor noted that during landing rolls on another Europa aircraft, the latch bounced up and down when passing over undulating ground. He recommended tightening the latch to prevent inadvertent unlatching, but noted that a tighter latch would not automatically drop into place, requiring the pilot to manually push it down after gear selection.
Landing gear examination
The aircraft was transported to the Europa kit manufacturer for inspection. The landing gear lever was found to be correctly biased to engage into the down gate. With the lever in the down gate, the retraction arms made proper contact with the stops on the landing gear frame, and the arms were over-centre with respect to the suspension block. The down latch operated freely as designed. No fault was found in the construction or function of the landing gear assembly.
Conclusion
The gear was found to operate and lock down correctly. Consequently, the only way the gear could have retracted during the landing roll is for the landing gear lever to have been unlatched. Either the latch was not fully engaged in the guide slot, or the latch popped up during the ground roll.