What happened
On 30 January 2010, a Fournier RF4D, registration G-AWEK, was performing a post-restoration check flight at Chichester (Goodwood) Airfield in West Sussex. The aircraft was being operated as a private flight with a single pilot on board.
Shortly after the aircraft had touched down, the landing gear unexpectedly retracted. This caused the aircraft to come to rest on its lower fuselage. There were no injuries to the pilot, and the damage was confined to the nosewheel and the undercarriage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical sequence that led to the gear retraction. It was established that the landing gear lever moved out of the DOWN position during the landing roll. The investigation determined that this movement was made possible because a trigger spring allowed the lever to move from its locked position.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was insufficient tension in the landing gear lever trigger spring.
- This lack of tension allowed the lever to move out of the DOWN position, resulting in the retraction of the landing gear.