History of Flight
On the morning of 7 December 2024, a pilot departed Dundee Airfield, KwaZulu-Natal, on a private flight to Ladysmith Airport (FALY). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. After arriving over the airport, the pilot entered a left crosswind leg for Runway 11. During the downwind leg, he selected landing gear extension but the green indicator light did not illuminate. He checked a mirror to visually confirm gear position and observed the nose gear down but the main gears partially extended. He retracted and re-extended the gear, but the main gears remained partially extended. He then pulled the gear circuit breaker, set the hydraulic control to down, and manually pumped the emergency extension. The emergency pump became difficult to operate, indicating full pressure, yet the main gear still did not fully extend. The pilot decided to perform a wheels-up landing.
Landing and Outcome
The pilot alerted ground crew for assistance after landing. He retracted the landing gear, configured for a belly landing, and on final approach shut off the fuel and master switch. The propeller struck the ground as the aircraft landed on its belly, and it came to a stop on the runway. The pilot disembarked and was met by ground crew. He was not injured. The aircraft sustained damage to the underbelly and propeller.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined the probable cause was a failure of the main landing gear actuator rod end due to fatigue, which caused the main undercarriage to partially extend during the landing phase. A contributory factor was failure to comply with the FAA’s recommendation (SAIB: CE14-17).