Beech 58 N458P accident near Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Probable cause

The failure of the left main landing gear to fully extend due to improper rigging by maintenance personnel during a maintenance check.

NTSB analysis

While performing an instrument landing system approach, the pilot lowered the landing gear and confirmed that it was extended by observing the cockpit gear indication. Immediately after landing, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered to the left. After departing the side of the runway, the airplane struck a taxiway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Examination of the main gear rigging showed that the emergency gear handle was able to rotate one full turn before hitting the internal stops. However, the Beech Aircraft Maintenance Manual states that there should only be 1/8- to 1/4-turn between the gear handle extended position and the internal stop during rigging checks. According to the manual, there are no down-position locks and, therefore, over-center tension is the only down-locking system. Therefore, the improper rigging of the landing gear during a maintenance check did not provide adequate down tension and prevented the landing gear from fully extending.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA13LA129 for the full record.