What happened
On 13 July 2008, a Europa aircraft, registration G-MIME, was performing a private flight at Caernarfon Airfield in Gwynedd. During the approach to Runway 26, the pilot managed the landing configuration by lowering the flaps and landing gear at an airspeed between 60 and 65 knots. The pilot utilized a slow and progressive method for deployment to prevent sudden trim changes.
Upon touchdown, a slight left crosswind was present. Although the pilot applied left aileron to compensate, the aircraft began rolling to the right. It quickly became apparent that the right landing gear outrigger had not locked down. Despite the use of full left aileron and right rudder, the aircraft veered to the left and left the runway surface. The transition from the runway to the adjacent grass caused the nose to pitch down, resulting in the propeller tips striking the ground. There were no injuries to the two occupants, though the propeller and wing sustained damage.
The investigation
Prior to departure, the pilot had noted that the landing gear outrigger down and locked indicator lights were non-functional. This was attributed to a continuity issue in a common earth return lead caused by an owner-performed modification. Because this modification was not required for flight, the pilot proceeded with the mission.
Investigators examined the landing gear system, which featured a monowheel configuration with retractable outrigger legs. The aircraft's flaps and landing gear were mechanically interconnected and operated by a single lever. The pilot had previously modified the aircraft to include additional green lights to indicate the outrigger position, as the outriggers are not visible from the cockpit when lowered.
Following the accident, a physical inspection of the right outrigger revealed that it was actually locked down. The investigation could not determine why the mechanism had failed to lock during the initial deployment.
Findings
- The pilot performed a slow deployment of the gear and flaps to maintain stability.
- The right landing gear outrigger failed to lock down during the landing sequence.
- The aircraft's departure from the runway was caused by the uncommanded veer resulting from the unlocked outrigger.
- The pilot had previously modified the aircraft to include visual indicators for the outrigger status.
- The outrigger was found to be in the locked position during post-accident inspection, leaving the initial cause of the failure undetermined.