Beech A200 N11 accident near Salt Lake City, Utah

Probable cause

The failure of the landing gear motor (worn components) resulting in the partial collapse of the landing gear during landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew not following emergency checklist procedures to attempt a manual gear extension.

NTSB analysis

The instructor pilot stated that after takeoff and while conducting flight maneuvers, he noticed an unsafe gear indication. The three green lights were extinguished; however, the red "gear transit" light was illuminated. The landing gear visually appeared to be down. The instructor pilot recycled the landing gear, which continued to fail to lock in the extended position. The pilot returned to the airport and executed a low approach over the runway where tower personnel advised them that the landing gear appeared to be down. The crew decided to attempt a landing with the unsafe landing gear indication. After touchdown, the main landing gear partially collapsed, while the nose gear remained extended. A previous incident similar to the accident occurred 14 weeks before. During that event, the flight crew manually extended the gear per the prescribed procedures and made a successful landing. During the accident event, the flight crew did not attempt to manually lower the landing gear as directed in the (checklist). Post accident inspection of the landing gear motor and relay system found that there were worn and chipped sprocket teeth, one of the sprocket shafts was not square with the gear, and at least one of the hanger bearings was worn.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08GA239 for the full record.