20160118001399A

On January 18, 2016 at approximately 1030 a.m. ^the owner^ of N68X was receiving dual multi-engine flight instruction in the local area of w.h (bud) Barron airport (kdbn), Dublin, Georgia. The aircraft was performing a short field landing on runway 32 when it was reported that the gear had collapsed approximately 50-100 yards after touch down. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the bottom of the fuselage with no injuries reported.

On January 19, 2016 an inspector from the atlanta FSDO was dispatched to conduct an investigation as to the cause of why the landing gear collapsed during landing. Upon arrival to the airport the aircraft had been moved to a t hanger and was placed on aircraft jacks for inspection at the discretion of the atlanta FSDO. The initial assessment of the aircraft revealed that the left and right engine props were bent on both ends and displayed the characteristics normally associated with an aircraft making power. There was substantial damage to the under belly of the aircraft from the aft end of the nose gear doors through the mid-section of the fuselage. The substantial damage consisted of major structural damage to the underbelly longerons and aircraft frame. The landing gear system was examined and no damage to the landing gear system or wheels was observed. A complete operational check of the landing gear system was performed as the gear was cycled through several times with no discrepancies noted.

An examination of the runway showed that at approximately 60 feet from the end of the 1000' foot marker you begin to see the witness marks on the ground from the left and right props. At the same location you also see scrape marks on the runway center line that corresponds with the damage to the fuselage underbelly. These scrape and witness marks continue for about 700 feet to the same location where the aircraft came to rest.

^The owner of the aircraft stated that he had just purchased the aircraft and^ was being given instruction from a certified flight instructor, in order to receive his multi engine rating. At the time of this accident ^the owner^ had accumulated 650 hours of total flight time but only 9.5 hours of multi-engine time in this aircraft. ^ the owner^ stated that that on this particular day they had already made several take offs and landing without incident and were performing a short runway takeoff and landing when this accident occurred. ^the owner ^stated that the aircraft touched down as normal about 1000 feet from the approach end when at about 2000 feet he noticed the aircraft start to shimmy and heard the sound of the prop striking the ground. The aircraft came to rest very shortly after and he evacuated the aircraft immediately. A written statement from the CFI was given and it corresponded to ^that of the owner^ on the events that transpired that day.

A review of the maintenance records was conducted and it showed no previous landing gear issues or concerns during the last annual inspection. The records showed all ADS had been complied with.