What happened
On 28 August 2020, a Piper PA-3/0-160, registration ZS-DVD, was performing a crew evaluation flight at Grand Central Aerodrome (FAGC) when the aircraft experienced a landing gear failure. The flight, conducted under Part 141 training regulations, involved a commercial pilot and a designated flight examiner.
During the landing on Runway 35, the aircraft encountered significant lateral forces due to a crosswind from the left. While the approach was initially stable, the pilot flying struggled to maintain the runway centerline during the landing roll. Approximately 300 meters after touchdown, the aircraft began veering toward the right side of the runway. As the pilot applied heavy left rudder to correct the drift, the right main gear collapsed. This caused the right wing to drop, leading the wing tip tank to scrape the runway surface and strike a runway light. The flight examiner eventually took control, shut down the engines, and the aircraft came to rest in a right-wing low position. There were no injuries to the two occupants, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and the mechanical state of the landing gear. The inspection, conducted alongside an aircraft maintenance engineer, revealed that the push-pull rod on the right main gear had undergone substantial bending. While the left main gear push-pull rod also showed some deformation, it remained intact. The investigation confirmed that the mechanical failure was a direct result of the lateral loads applied to the gear during the crosswind landing roll. The aircraft's maintenance records showed the plane had undergone a mandatory periodic inspection roughly five months prior to the incident.