What happened
On March 5, 2020, a Cessna C337A, registration LV-ISR, was performing a general aviation flight departing from Esquel Airport in the Chubut province of Argentina. During the takeoff roll, the cover for the left main landing gear failed and detached from the aircraft.
Despite the mechanical failure of the component, the aircraft did not sustain any structural damage, and the flight proceeded without further incident. There were no injuries reported among the crew or passengers involved in the operation.
The investigation
The Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST) conducted a technical review of the event. Investigators examined the characteristics of the aircraft following the occurrence and evaluated the operational impact of the component failure. The investigation focused on the nature of the failure within the landing gear assembly and the safety implications of the detached cover during the takeoff phase.
Findings
- The primary cause of the event was a failure of the left main landing gear cover.
- The incident occurred during the takeoff phase of flight.
- The failure did not result in any damage to the aircraft or any impact on operational safety.