A LAKE RENEGADE INCURRED L WING FLOAT LOWER SKIN DAMAGE WHEN THE L LNDG GEAR RETRACTED DURING TAXI. CAUSED BY A BENT HYD ACTUATOR.

Narrative

ON FEB/THU/05 A LAKE TURBO RENEGADE HAD AN INCIDENT AFTER LNDG AT ZZZ. WHILE TAXIING TO THE APRON; AFTER CLRING THE ACTIVE; THE L LNDG GEAR STARTED TO RETRACT. AS THE L GEAR RETRACTED; THE ACFT CAME TO REST ON THE L WING FLOAT. IN MY OPINION; THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS LED TO THE INCIDENT: LNDG GEAR DOORS HAD JUST BEEN INSTALLED ON THE ACFT. KIT NUMBER XLS-102 IS AN APPROVED KIT FOR THE LA25 SERIES ACFT. WINDS WERE 310 DEGS AT 16 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS; THEREFORE; RWY 31 WAS CHOSEN. AS I TURNED FOR A MID L DOWNWIND; I LOWERED MY LNDG GEAR; MY AIRSPD WAS 98 KTS; MAX GEAR EXTENSION IS 107 KTS. I DID NOT HAVE A GREEN LIGHT INDICATING MY LNDG GEAR WAS DOWN. I DID A VISUAL CHK OF THE LNDG GEAR AND ALL LOOKED IN PLACE. AFTER EXAMINING THE LNDG GEAR; IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE GEAR DID NOT LOCK INTO PLACE DUE TO A BENT HYD ACTUATOR. I BELIEVE THE ACTUATOR WAS BENT WHILE THE GEAR WAS BEING EXTENDED; THE L WING WAS HIGH (THEREFORE THE GEAR WAS EXTENDING UPWARD); WITH A 90 DEG WIND GUST OF 25 KTS HITTING THE LNDG GEAR DOOR DURING EXTENSION; MAY HAVE RESULTED IN AN EXCESSIVE LOAD ON THE ACTUATOR. IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING IN THE FUTURE; I WOULD REDUCE GEAR EXTENSION SPD TO 90 KTS; AND LOWER GEAR WHILE ON THE DOWNWIND IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLT. AFTER SECURING THE LNDG GEAR IN THE DOWN POS; I FLEW THE ACFT BACK TO ZZZ1 ARPT THE NEXT MORNING FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE BOTTOM L FLOAT SKIN AND TO REPAIR THE HYD ACTUATOR FOR THE L LNDG GEAR.