What happened
On August 9, 2001, a Beechcraft BE20, registration ZS-NWK, was performing a ferry flight from Maun, Botswana, to Lanseria, South Africa. The flight was being conducted as a private operation following a previous incident in Luena, Angola, where the aircraft had suffered a double undercarriage failure caused by poor runway conditions. To facilitate the return flight, temporary repairs had been performed on both landing gears, and the aircraft was operating under a South African CAA Special Flight Permit.
As the aircraft approached runway 06L at Lanseria, the right-hand landing gear collapsed. This structural failure caused the aircraft to veer off the runway to the right. There were zero fatalities and zero injuries among the two occupants on board.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the components of the temporary repair, specifically focusing on the right-hand brace. The investigation established that the brace, which had been manufactured for the purpose of the temporary repair, failed at the point where the bracket was welded to the front attachment of the wing main spar.
Investigators also reviewed the flight parameters, noting that the aircraft was flying at 160 KIAS, which was within the maximum gear-down speed limit of 181 KIAS. The investigation also considered the mechanical stresses placed on the gear during the flight, as the aircraft was being operated with the landing gear in the extended position.