History of the Flight
The accident flight was the last of three flights conducted that day by the same pilot, who reported the earlier flights as uneventful. Before departure, the pilot carried out a pre-flight inspection, paying particular attention to the retractable landing gear, as was his normal practice. No abnormalities were detected. The flight was a 50-minute local flight.
Accident Sequence
The pilot performed a normal landing on grass Runway 10 at Headcorn. The wind was from 050° at 7 kt. The approach was stable, flown at 80 kt with full flap. The landing gear was confirmed down by three green indicator lights. Touchdown was normal, and the aircraft initially decelerated without the use of wheel brakes. Later in the landing roll, the pilot selected the wing flaps up and was about to apply wheel brakes when the left wing began to sink as the left landing gear collapsed. The aircraft slid for a few metres and veered left before coming to a stop on the runway. The collapse occurred at low speed and was fairly gradual; none of the occupants were injured. After shutting down the engine, they vacated through the left cabin door.
Examination Findings
The aircraft was inspected by a local maintenance organisation, which reported that the leg had failed approximately 3 inches below its top attachment. The engineer who conducted the inspection commented that evidence of corrosion was visible on the inner surface of the leg and that this may have led to the development of a crack from the inside outwards. He added that the area was difficult to inspect visually in situ. A Mandatory Occurrence Report highlighting his findings was submitted to the CAA.
Damage
The accident resulted in damage to the left landing gear, pilot step, and left wingtip.