Malaysian Airways

De Havilland DH.106 Comet

The flight from Kuala Lumpur was uneventful until the airplane approached Singapore. Visibility was good as the co-pilot started the approach to runway 02. The flare was initiated a little late and the airplane touched down firmly. The Comet bounced and floated a few feet over the runway. During the bounce the starboard wheel bogie and part of the landing gear leg dropped off. The crew tried to hold the wing off the ground after the aircraft settled back onto the runway. Finally the wing contacted the runway. The engines were shut down and left wheel brakes applied before the aircraft came to rest. At the time of the accident, the gears totalized 4,500 landings and was certified for 8,000.