Incident Overview
United Airlines Flight 1257 was en route to its destination when the flight crew extended the landing gear for landing. The crew received an unsafe indication for the right main landing gear. Attempts to extend the gear were unsuccessful.
Diversion and Landing
The crew decided to proceed to an airport with a longer runway to perform a gear-up landing. The landing was accomplished without injuries to any occupants. During the landing rollout, the right powerplant nacelle sustained incidental damage.
Investigation Findings
After the aircraft was secured, maintenance personnel opened the right landing gear compartment. A 3-cell flashlight was discovered wedged between the cargo flooring and the landing gear retract/extend linkage. This object prevented the landing gear from extending fully, leading to the unsafe indication.
Conclusion
The investigation determined that the presence of the flashlight in the gear linkage caused the malfunction. No other factors were cited.