Date & Time:
Sep 30, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Airspeed AS.57 Ambassador
Operator:
Registration:
G-AMAG
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
London - London
MSN:
5229
YOM:
1953
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After a touch-and-go landing at Gatwick Airport, the right main gear didn't lock up. The gear was recycled and the pilot then checked the gear visually and the gear appeared to be fully retracted. On gear extension for the next landing, the right main gear warning light remained on. The gear was recycled several times, but without success. Other attempts (high g turns, using the hand pump, and touching the runway) also failed. It was then decided to make a wheels-up landing on a foam carpet at Manston.
Probable cause:
The starboard undercarriage pin had fractured and fallen out of its housing. This permitted the assembly to drop under its own weight and, as a result it was mechanically impossible for the up-lock catch to disengage from the pin on the undercarriage leg.
