What happened
On 4 October 2002, a SIAI Marchetti S205 18/R, registration G-AYXS, was completing a private flight from Barton, Manchester, to Denham Aerodrome in Middlesex. During the approach to Runway 24, the pilot and a passenger acting as co-pilot performed standard pre-landing checks using a challenge and response method. These checks included verifying the single green indicator light for the landing gear and a mechanical floor indicator linked to the nose gear; no issues were identified during this process.
The touchdown on the runway was reported as smooth. However, during the subsequent rollout, the nose landing gear suddenly collapsed. This caused the aircraft to come to a stop on its main wheels, positioned just off the right edge of the runway. The incident resulted in damage to the propeller, the engine cowl, and the nose landing gear, though there were no injuries to the two crew members on board.
The investigation
Following the accident, emergency services attended the scene. To inspect the collapsed gear, the aircraft was tilted upward on its main wheels. A mechanic was able to manually pull the nose gear leg back into the locked position without difficulty.
Subsequent inspections by a maintenance company focused on the landing gear system. Aside from the physical damage sustained during the collapse, the investigation found no mechanical defects within the landing gear system that could explain why the gear failed to remain locked.