Narrative:

I was checking out an small transport twin turbo after 8-9 months of maintenance and unuse. While in the pattern at pie, I was performing touch-and-goes and checking out the system and avionics to see if any equipment needed repair after such a long period of unuse. The plane had just been through a periodic inspection as well as a 5 yr gear overhaul. I had flown the plane from sarasota to st petersburg 2 days earlier and noticed an occasional gear unsafe light on the left main gear. I brought the plane over to the maintenance facility that had worked on the gear and they made a minor adjustment to the down microswitch. This appeared to fix the problem. During the preflight inspection, everything looked normal in the gear well and the strut looked 'over center.' after my second landing in the pattern, the plane rolled about 500 ft after touchdown while I reset the trim and flaps for the touch-and-go. Suddenly, the left gear collapsed back toward retraction. I shut down both engines with emergency cutoff and feather while maintaining directional control with the right brake. The plane slid about 850 ft and stopped just to the left of the runway in the grass at midfield. The damage to the plane was limited to the scraped belly skin and the left propeller that had struck the ground in feather. Initial inspection showed that the fitting to which the hydraulic actuator connects to the strut had sheared allowing the left gear to fold back. There were no injuries. Myself and my passenger exited the plane quickly. Maintenance jacked up the wing, pulled the gear back into place and towed it to the hangar. In retrospect, perhaps the faulty gear warning light was an indication that more was wrong with the gear than just a microswitch out of adjustment.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY EXCURSION AFTER SMT'S LONG GEAR COLLAPSES DURING A TOUCH AND GO. ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: I WAS CHKING OUT AN SMT TWIN TURBO AFTER 8-9 MONTHS OF MAINT AND UNUSE. WHILE IN THE PATTERN AT PIE, I WAS PERFORMING TOUCH-AND-GOES AND CHKING OUT THE SYS AND AVIONICS TO SEE IF ANY EQUIP NEEDED REPAIR AFTER SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF UNUSE. THE PLANE HAD JUST BEEN THROUGH A PERIODIC INSPECTION AS WELL AS A 5 YR GEAR OVERHAUL. I HAD FLOWN THE PLANE FROM SARASOTA TO ST PETERSBURG 2 DAYS EARLIER AND NOTICED AN OCCASIONAL GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ON THE L MAIN GEAR. I BROUGHT THE PLANE OVER TO THE MAINT FACILITY THAT HAD WORKED ON THE GEAR AND THEY MADE A MINOR ADJUSTMENT TO THE DOWN MICROSWITCH. THIS APPEARED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION, EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL IN THE GEAR WELL AND THE STRUT LOOKED 'OVER CTR.' AFTER MY SECOND LNDG IN THE PATTERN, THE PLANE ROLLED ABOUT 500 FT AFTER TOUCHDOWN WHILE I RESET THE TRIM AND FLAPS FOR THE TOUCH-AND-GO. SUDDENLY, THE L GEAR COLLAPSED BACK TOWARD RETRACTION. I SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS WITH EMER CUTOFF AND FEATHER WHILE MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CTL WITH THE R BRAKE. THE PLANE SLID ABOUT 850 FT AND STOPPED JUST TO THE L OF THE RWY IN THE GRASS AT MIDFIELD. THE DAMAGE TO THE PLANE WAS LIMITED TO THE SCRAPED BELLY SKIN AND THE L PROP THAT HAD STRUCK THE GND IN FEATHER. INITIAL INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE FITTING TO WHICH THE HYD ACTUATOR CONNECTS TO THE STRUT HAD SHEARED ALLOWING THE L GEAR TO FOLD BACK. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. MYSELF AND MY PAX EXITED THE PLANE QUICKLY. MAINT JACKED UP THE WING, PULLED THE GEAR BACK INTO PLACE AND TOWED IT TO THE HANGAR. IN RETROSPECT, PERHAPS THE FAULTY GEAR WARNING LIGHT WAS AN INDICATION THAT MORE WAS WRONG WITH THE GEAR THAN JUST A MICROSWITCH OUT OF ADJUSTMENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.