What happened
On 15 July 2001, a Rutan Long-Ez, registration G-LUKE, was performing a private flight at Wycombe Air Park, Buckinghamshire. During the landing phase on Runway 25, the aircraft made contact with the tarmac on its main landing gear. The pilot reported that the touchdown was both fast and firm. Following this initial contact, the nose landing gear descended to the runway surface but subsequently bounced. This secondary impact caused significant vibration throughout the airframe. As the nose gear made a second contact with the runway, the nose gear leg collapsed toward the rear, resulting in the nose wheel shearing off from the aircraft.
The investigation
Following the incident, an examination of the nose landing gear assembly was conducted. Investigators found that the teeth on the retraction cog had been stripped. The pilot suggested that the intense vibration experienced during the landing caused the overcentre mechanism—which is intended to lock the gear in the extended position—to release. It was noted that while a modification had previously been installed on the aircraft to secure the gear crank handle and prevent such a release, this modification was not in use at the time of the accident.