Beech B200 Landing Gear Collapse at Cape Town International Aerodrome (S-LFU)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence On 7 March 2008, a Beech B200 with registration ZS-LFU was operating a private flight from Bloemfontein Aerodrome to Cape Town International Aerodrome. The aircraft, operated by Invicta Bearings (Pty) LTD, carried one pilot and six passengers. The pilot, a 52-year-old South African with a commercial license and 14,500 total flight hours, was cleared for landing on Runway 19 by Air Traffic Control. The pilot reported that the landing gear was selected down and three green cockpit lights indicated the gear was down and locked. During the final approach, the before-landing checklist was completed and full flaps were selected. Touchdown was normal, but approximately halfway through the landing roll, the pilot felt the left side of the aircraft slowly sinking. The left-hand propeller subsequently struck the runway surface. The pilot took corrective action to keep the aircraft straight and maintain the sinking wing as long as possible, bringing the aircraft to a halt to the left of the runway centerline. No injuries were reported among the seven people on board. ## Aircraft Damage and Maintenance History The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left wing, flaps, propeller, and engine. Minor damage was also caused to the runway surface from propeller blade strike marks and scraping. The Beech B200, serial number BB-1018, was manufactured in 1983 and had 8,667.2 total airframe hours at the time of the accident. The last Phase 1 inspection was certified on 1 February 2008 at 8,641.6 hours. During this inspection, a defect was noted regarding the left-hand main landing gear down lock indicator switch being intermittent. A new switch was fitted and functional tests were performed. A Phase 4 inspection had been completed on 30 May 2007. The manufacturer, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, indicated there were no Airworthiness Directives or Service Bulletins addressing the hook down lock mechanism failure. ## Probable Cause The accident was attributed to the left main landing gear assembly collapsing during the landing roll due to a fatigue fracture that had propagated over an undetermined period of time.