What happened
On July 19, 2011, at approximately 20:50 UTC, a Beechcraft BE-58, registration PR-VTT, was performing a private transport flight from Correntina, Bahia, to Brasília, DF. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and two passengers.
During the approach and landing preparations, the pilot noted that the landing gear failed to indicate as locked in the down position using the normal hydraulic system. After three unsuccessful attempts to extend the gear via the normal system, the pilot followed emergency procedures and deployed the gear using the emergency system. Following this action, the cockpit indicator lights turned green, signaling that the gear was down and locked.
During the landing roll on the runway, the main and auxiliary landing gears unexpectedly retracted. The aircraft traveled approximately 280 meters before the gear retracted, causing the aircraft to sustain substantial damage to the propeller blades, flaps, and both the main and nose landing gear. All three occupants escaped the aircraft without injury.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the landing gear assembly and identified a fracture in the actuator retract arm. Forensic analysis by the Federal Police's Criminalistics Institute determined that this fracture was caused by a mechanical load exceeding the design specifications, although the exact timing of the failure could not be determined. This fracture likely prevented the gear from locking correctly via the normal system.
Investigators also found that a nose gear actuator rod was bent, likely due to the inadvertent retraction while the aircraft was on the ground. While the landing gear control lever was found in the correct "down" position, the landing gear motor circuit breaker was found in the "on" position. According to emergency manuals, the breaker should remain pulled to prevent accidental retraction after using the emergency system. Although the pilot stated the breaker was only reset after the aircraft had already been evacuated, investigators could not definitively determine the cause of the unexpected retraction during the landing roll.