Narrative:

It was BB00 local time in sat when I was cleared to land on runway 3. On the runway there was another airplane taking off, so I was a little bit concerned if I had to go around or continue my approach. The flight originated in harlingen, tx, at AB40 IFR to sat carrying cargo, first flight of the day, well relaxed and awake, cruising at 6000 ft in a VFR night. My ILS for runway 3 was tuned and idented far out, gear was down and locked, 3 green lights. My power was 23 inches manifold pressure and flaps 15 degrees, 200 ft above the ground (missed approach point), I saw that the aircraft rolling on the runway was finally airborne almost 1000 ft before the end of the runway and I decided to land by putting flaps 25 degrees and reducing power to 20 inches manifold pressure, confirming that the gear was down with 3 green lights. I was a little bit faster than normal 125 KTS, my descent was 600 FPM slowly reducing my power above the numbers, verifying one more time that the gear was down and going down for flare. The flare was normal and when the nose gear touched down, I saw that my airspeed was still high and felt that to stop I would have to apply heavy brakes. I made the decision to go around, seeing the alternate red and white lights at the end of the runway approaching. The tower is asking me if I had any problem. I answered that my speed was high to stop the aircraft at a normal safe distance. The tower informed me that is a r-hand pattern for runway 3. Turning final, I was 500 ft AGL in a normal approach, reducing power to 21 inches manifold pressure. Above the numbers, I reduced power to idle and I started my flare. Main landing gear left and right touched down and the nose gear touched down soon after. I felt that the aircraft was pulling to the left and I applied right rudder and some right aileron. While airspeed was reducing, I felt that I was dragging something on the left side and the aircraft was leaning (banking) to the left. Immediately I applied full right rudder and full right aileron to maintain directional control of the aircraft. All taxiway exits are to my left and I was considering to exit the runway in one of them. I decided to put the airplane on the grass adjacent to the runway thinking about damage to the aircraft and possible fire. I made left turn going for the grass strip that was to my left at the same level with the runway and while I am turning the aircraft with full left rudder and still right aileron, I cut the mixtures to idle cutoff and applied full brakes. The aircraft cleared completely the runway resting on the grass and pointing with the nose towards 270 degrees approximately. I pulled the fuel shutoff valve that separates the 2 fuel tanks to close and pulled the 2 electrical bars to shutoff position that shuts the magnetos, alternators and the battery. Immediately I tried to open the captain's window door and free myself from the shoulder harness and the seatbelt. A narrow corridor of fire lighted up coming towards the aircraft from a distance of 10 ft. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and I applied the extinguishing agent against the fire. At the beginning it was effective, but the fire was coming back in front of the wing. The fire fighters, 3 trucks, were at the scene in no time and the fire was put out immediately. They asked me for the location of the battery and was disconnected. After facts: the left main gear tire with the brake disc and pads was found intact (with no damage) 100 ft before the complete stop of the aircraft, in an appropriate distance from the center of the runway. The base (top part) of the left main gear trunion collapsed, broke apart. The base is the piece that connects the trunion to the lower part of the fuselage under the wing. The trunion was dragged during the deceleration of the aircraft on the runway, pulling the extended down and lock position strut with the wheel assembly. The wheel assembly separated from the end of the strut approximately 100 ft from the complete stop of the aircraft. The fire ignited from a fuel leak under the left wing coming in contact with a hot wire from the 3 runway edge lights that were destroyed when the aircraft exited the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C402C ATX PLT EXPERIENCES A GEAR COLLAPSE AND GOES OFF THE RWY WITH AN ENSUING GND FIRE AT SAT, TX.

Narrative: IT WAS BB00 LCL TIME IN SAT WHEN I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 3. ON THE RWY THERE WAS ANOTHER AIRPLANE TAKING OFF, SO I WAS A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED IF I HAD TO GO AROUND OR CONTINUE MY APCH. THE FLT ORIGINATED IN HARLINGEN, TX, AT AB40 IFR TO SAT CARRYING CARGO, FIRST FLT OF THE DAY, WELL RELAXED AND AWAKE, CRUISING AT 6000 FT IN A VFR NIGHT. MY ILS FOR RWY 3 WAS TUNED AND IDENTED FAR OUT, GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED, 3 GREEN LIGHTS. MY PWR WAS 23 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND FLAPS 15 DEGS, 200 FT ABOVE THE GND (MISSED APCH POINT), I SAW THAT THE ACFT ROLLING ON THE RWY WAS FINALLY AIRBORNE ALMOST 1000 FT BEFORE THE END OF THE RWY AND I DECIDED TO LAND BY PUTTING FLAPS 25 DEGS AND REDUCING PWR TO 20 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE, CONFIRMING THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN WITH 3 GREEN LIGHTS. I WAS A LITTLE BIT FASTER THAN NORMAL 125 KTS, MY DSCNT WAS 600 FPM SLOWLY REDUCING MY PWR ABOVE THE NUMBERS, VERIFYING ONE MORE TIME THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND GOING DOWN FOR FLARE. THE FLARE WAS NORMAL AND WHEN THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, I SAW THAT MY AIRSPD WAS STILL HIGH AND FELT THAT TO STOP I WOULD HAVE TO APPLY HVY BRAKES. I MADE THE DECISION TO GO AROUND, SEEING THE ALTERNATE RED AND WHITE LIGHTS AT THE END OF THE RWY APCHING. THE TWR IS ASKING ME IF I HAD ANY PROB. I ANSWERED THAT MY SPD WAS HIGH TO STOP THE ACFT AT A NORMAL SAFE DISTANCE. THE TWR INFORMED ME THAT IS A R-HAND PATTERN FOR RWY 3. TURNING FINAL, I WAS 500 FT AGL IN A NORMAL APCH, REDUCING PWR TO 21 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE. ABOVE THE NUMBERS, I REDUCED PWR TO IDLE AND I STARTED MY FLARE. MAIN LNDG GEAR L AND R TOUCHED DOWN AND THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN SOON AFTER. I FELT THAT THE ACFT WAS PULLING TO THE L AND I APPLIED R RUDDER AND SOME R AILERON. WHILE AIRSPD WAS REDUCING, I FELT THAT I WAS DRAGGING SOMETHING ON THE L SIDE AND THE ACFT WAS LEANING (BANKING) TO THE L. IMMEDIATELY I APPLIED FULL R RUDDER AND FULL R AILERON TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CTL OF THE ACFT. ALL TXWY EXITS ARE TO MY L AND I WAS CONSIDERING TO EXIT THE RWY IN ONE OF THEM. I DECIDED TO PUT THE AIRPLANE ON THE GRASS ADJACENT TO THE RWY THINKING ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE ACFT AND POSSIBLE FIRE. I MADE L TURN GOING FOR THE GRASS STRIP THAT WAS TO MY L AT THE SAME LEVEL WITH THE RWY AND WHILE I AM TURNING THE ACFT WITH FULL L RUDDER AND STILL R AILERON, I CUT THE MIXTURES TO IDLE CUTOFF AND APPLIED FULL BRAKES. THE ACFT CLRED COMPLETELY THE RWY RESTING ON THE GRASS AND POINTING WITH THE NOSE TOWARDS 270 DEGS APPROX. I PULLED THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE THAT SEPARATES THE 2 FUEL TANKS TO CLOSE AND PULLED THE 2 ELECTRICAL BARS TO SHUTOFF POS THAT SHUTS THE MAGNETOS, ALTERNATORS AND THE BATTERY. IMMEDIATELY I TRIED TO OPEN THE CAPT'S WINDOW DOOR AND FREE MYSELF FROM THE SHOULDER HARNESS AND THE SEATBELT. A NARROW CORRIDOR OF FIRE LIGHTED UP COMING TOWARDS THE ACFT FROM A DISTANCE OF 10 FT. I GRABBED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND I APPLIED THE EXTINGUISHING AGENT AGAINST THE FIRE. AT THE BEGINNING IT WAS EFFECTIVE, BUT THE FIRE WAS COMING BACK IN FRONT OF THE WING. THE FIRE FIGHTERS, 3 TRUCKS, WERE AT THE SCENE IN NO TIME AND THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT IMMEDIATELY. THEY ASKED ME FOR THE LOCATION OF THE BATTERY AND WAS DISCONNECTED. AFTER FACTS: THE L MAIN GEAR TIRE WITH THE BRAKE DISC AND PADS WAS FOUND INTACT (WITH NO DAMAGE) 100 FT BEFORE THE COMPLETE STOP OF THE ACFT, IN AN APPROPRIATE DISTANCE FROM THE CTR OF THE RWY. THE BASE (TOP PART) OF THE L MAIN GEAR TRUNION COLLAPSED, BROKE APART. THE BASE IS THE PIECE THAT CONNECTS THE TRUNION TO THE LOWER PART OF THE FUSELAGE UNDER THE WING. THE TRUNION WAS DRAGGED DURING THE DECELERATION OF THE ACFT ON THE RWY, PULLING THE EXTENDED DOWN AND LOCK POS STRUT WITH THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE END OF THE STRUT APPROX 100 FT FROM THE COMPLETE STOP OF THE ACFT. THE FIRE IGNITED FROM A FUEL LEAK UNDER THE L WING COMING IN CONTACT WITH A HOT WIRE FROM THE 3 RWY EDGE LIGHTS THAT WERE DESTROYED WHEN THE ACFT EXITED THE RWY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.