N41185

On July 8, 2006, about 0940 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-31 airplane, N41185, sustained substantial damage when the landing gear collapsed during landing at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Everts Air Alaska, Fairbanks, as a visual flight rules (VFR) maintenance test flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo airline transport certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 10, the director of operations for the operator said the pilot reported to him that he had taken the airplane for a maintenance test flight, which was unrelated to the landing gear. According to the director, the pilot said there was no indication of a problem prior to the landing gear collapsing during the landing roll. The director of operations reported that the airplane received structural damage to the bottom of the fuselage, stringers, and bulkheads.

During a telephone conversation with the IIC on July 9, the director of operations said following removal of the airplane from the runway, the airplane was taken to a maintenance facility and placed on jacks. He said maintenance personnel performed landing gear extension and retraction tests on the landing gear. He reported the landing gear extended and retracted appropriately.

In a written statement dated July 8, the pilot reported that after completing his maintenance checks and while returning to the airport for landing, he was asked by the tower to expedite his landing due to traffic. He wrote that he put the flaps and gear down in the normal manner, and checked the nose gear in the mirror on the left engine. He indicated that in the mirror, the nose gear appeared to be "extending in a normal manner."

Photographs provided by the operator showed no damage to the left or right main landing gear tires, wheels, or landing gear leg doors. The photographs do show abrasions and scratches parallel to the fuselage's longitudinal axis on the exterior of both the left and right main landing gear wheel doors, consistent with ground contact in the closed (gear retracted) position. An additional photograph also showed abrasion and scratches on the exterior of both nose wheel doors parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage.

In a written statement from the operator dated August 4, the operator suggested the gear unsafe horn should be wired through the audio panel, so as to be more easily heard by pilots wearing noise attenuating headsets.