What happened
On the afternoon of August 17, 1999, a SAAB 91 SAFIR, registration ZU-BSG, was conducting a proving flight departing from and returning to FAWB. During the approach, the pilot became concerned that the nose landing gear might not have been properly locked in the down position. To verify the gear status, the pilot performed a low fly-past of the control tower, where air traffic control personnel observed the nose gear to be down and locked.
Despite this visual confirmation, the aircraft encountered significant issues during the landing roll. As the aircraft touched down, the left-hand main landing gear collapsed. This caused the aircraft to veer left, exiting the runway and onto the grass adjacent to runway 06. Before the aircraft could come to a complete stop, the right-hand main landing gear also failed. Because the nose gear remained extended throughout the incident, the structural damage to the airframe was relatively minimal.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the sequence of events and the mechanical state of the aircraft following the excursion. The investigation focused on the mechanical integrity of the landing gear assembly and the specific failure that occurred during the landing phase. Following the incident, the aircraft's wings were removed to facilitate its transport by road to a maintenance facility near Lanseria Airport for reconstruction.
Findings
- The primary cause of the landing gear collapse was a failure in the linkage mechanism.
- The aircraft sustained no fatalities or injuries to the single occupant on board.
- The incident occurred under favorable meteorological conditions (CAVOAK).