A landing gear assembly for a vehicle, such as a helicopter, includes a linkage coupled to the vehicle and configured to reciprocate between a stowed position and a deployed position. A shock strut forms a part of the linkage. The landing gear assembly further includes a side brace having a first end coupled to the linkage and a second end coupled to the vehicle. The side brace provides a driving force that reciprocates the linkage between the stowed and deployed position. The side brace includes an energy attenuation system that dissipates energy when a compressive load on the side brace exceeds a predetermined threshold.