Exeter Airport: Plane crashed after landing gear failure

The report said the landing gear had been overhauled in 2020 and no further maintenance was required until August 2022

A light aircraft crash landed at Exeter Airport after a landing gear failure, a report has said.

The Beechcraft 200, with only a pilot on board, crashed at 11:18 GMT on 3 January 2022, said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch report.

The pilot was unharmed, but the plane's cargo pod, fuselage, landing gear doors, and wing flaps were damaged.

The aircraft had diverted from Alderney to Exeter after the left-side landing gear failed to lock, said the report.

The 66-year-old pilot made a flypast of the control tower at Exeter where observers confirmed that the left-side landing gear was lowered, and the pilot continued with a normal approach and landing.

However, as the plane landed, the landing gear collapsed, causing the left wing and cargo pod to hit the runway and the tips of the left propeller to strike the ground.

The investigation found that the cause of the crash was likely due to a "down-lock system losing adjustment", which resulted in the collapse of the landing gear.

The report said the landing gear had been overhauled in 2020 and no further maintenance was required until August 2022.

At the time of the accident, the aircraft's certificate of airworthiness was valid.