Incident Overview
On Saturday, August 26, 1972, a Beech 35 Bonanza with registration F-BMCO was involved in an accident at Geneva-Cointrin Airport. The aircraft departed from Lyon-Bron at 15:39 local time, carrying the pilot and his son as a passenger. It landed on runway 23 at 16:10.
Sequence of Events
After landing, the aircraft taxied for approximately 200 meters before entering taxiway 4. The pilot estimated the speed to be around 5 km/h. At this point, the right main landing gear collapsed suddenly, causing the aircraft to nose-over.
Damage and Injuries
Both occupants sustained no injuries. The aircraft suffered minor damage, and there were no reported damages to the ground infrastructure.
Investigation Findings
The pilot, a French citizen born in 1925, held a valid private pilot license for single-engine propeller aircraft up to 250 horsepower. He had a total flight experience of 650 hours, with 490 hours on the specific type involved. The investigation found no pre-existing technical defects related to the accident. While the retraction linkage was deformed and the nose gear strut failed due to overload, the hydraulic system and warning devices were functioning correctly.
Probable Cause
The inquiry concluded that the accident resulted from the involuntary retraction of the landing gear. This was attributed to an inadvertent manipulation of the gear control, possibly confused with the flap control.