DEN01LA118

The private pilot, who was seated in the right seat, said that upon landing, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure. The pilot had logged 38 hours in multiengine airplanes, all of which were in the accident airplane make and model. He stated that he was accumulating multiengine flight time and wanted to "get some experience flying the airplane from the right seat."

On June 30, 2001, at 0930 mountain daylight time, a Beech 76, N877SP, sustained substantial damage when the right main gear collapsed during landing at Platte Valley Airport, Hudson, Colorado. The private pilot-in-command, seated in the right seat, a commercial pilot rated passenger sitting next to him, and an airline transport rated passenger in the back seat were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this personal flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Front Range Airport, Watkins, Colorado, approximately 0830.

The private pilot submitted the accident report. He stated that upon landing on runway 15, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. He thought that the left wing and nose dug into the soft sand as the airplane came to a halt.

The private pilot had an airplane multiengine rating. In a telephone interview, he stated that he was accumulating multiengine flight time and wanted to "get some experience flying the airplane from the right seat." He reported having logged 38 hours in multiengine airplanes, all of which were in the Beech 76.

The commercial pilot, seated in the left front seat, did not possess an airplane multiengine rating. He reported having logged 25 hours in multiengine airplanes, all of which were in the Beech 76, and all of which were logged in the previous 90 days, including 10 hours in the previous 30 days.

An airline transport rated flight instructor with an airplane multiengine rating was seated in the right rear seat. His company, Advantage Aviation, was the operator of the airplane. He stated that this was not an instructional flight.

According to the salvage and repair company that retrieved the airplane, there was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure. The outboard section of the left wing was bent upward. Additionally, there was damage to the right propeller, right flap, and right main landing gear.