Landing Incident at Mt Gambier

[Rotor Work]

The emergency services responded to an aircraft mishap at Mt Gambier Airport this morning.
Police, MFS, SA Ambulance Service and CFS personnel were alerted to the incident at 8.37am.
Sergeant Steve Lawrie, of Mt Gambier Police, said the twin-engined light plane from Naracoorte with just the pilot aboard had reported that it was having trouble with its landing gear after it landed safely.
It is understood that the landing gear retracted for an unknown reason.
Contingency plans were then put into operation.
The plane ended up on its side alongside the runway.
An amount of fuel leaked on to the runway from the light aircraft and this was removed with the assistance of foam.
No injuries have been reported and the runway was not damaged.
Aircraft departures and arrivals to Adelaide and Melbourne were affected by this morning’s incident for a few hours.
A REX flight from Melbourne had to be sent back.

UPDATE:Plane mishap at airport « millicentnow (http://millicentnow.com.au/2012/10/24/forced-landing-at-airport/)

ASN Aircraft accident 24-OCT-2012 Aero Commander 500S Shrike Commander VH-KAK (http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=150342)

Aero Commander VH-KAK

[Aimpoint]

What's going on at GAM? Didn't a similar thing happen at Toowoomba not long ago? I believe the crew were all given a safety notice about unsafe gear retraction practices, then this happens...

[avconnection]

And Warrnambool.

[PLovett]

Aimpoint, do you know something more about this because from what was published by the OP and on the links provided I could see nothing that would suggest that it was unsafe pilot practices? Perhaps a failure to lock down only?

For all I know you may be right just that I can't see it from what has been posted.

[717tech]

Unsafe gear retraction practices?

[Aimpoint]

At least one of the three was as per 717tech's suggestion.

[717tech]

Shoud clarify.

What I meant was what unsafe gear practices? Having not flown the Aerocommand is there some nifty trick that doesn't always work?

[avconnection]

The nifty trick is leaving the gear select handle lock in place until positive rate of climb. If you don't and knock the handle up, the gear will retract.

Once the gear is down and locked, the main gear is well and truly locked; however the nose gear has been known to collapse.