On 23 March 2004, shortly after take-off from Katherine, NT, the
left main landing gear of the Beech 200 aircraft, registered
VH-NTH, did not retract. The flight continued to Darwin with the
landing gear extended. During approach to Darwin airport the pilot
advised air traffic control that he could not obtain a green `down
and locked' indication for the left main landing gear, and declared
an emergency prior to landing. During touchdown, the left main
landing gear collapsed and the aircraft slewed off the runway. Both
occupants evacuated the aircraft with no injuries.
The aircraft operator's maintenance organisation examined the
aircraft and found that the left main landing gear drive shaft had
severed as a result of fretting against a bleed air duct clamp
tail. The bleed air duct clamp (jubilee clamp) had been fitted to
the aircraft during an aircraft refurbishment program in September
2003. The jubilee clamp tail had been fastened in close proximity
to the landing gear drive shaft. Subsequently, the jubilee clamp
tail had come into close contact with the drive shaft, leading to
severe wear of the drive shaft section and eventual failure.
As a result of the issues identified with this occurrence, the
aircraft operator has conducted a fleet-wide examination of all
similar aircraft to ensure adequate clearance exists between bleed
air clamps and landing gear drive shafts.
The operator has submitted a major defect report to the
Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority and intends to notify
the manufacturer of a number of deficiencies noted in the aircraft
maintenance manual.