Incident Overview
A pilot reported that upon lowering the landing gear, the right main gear did not indicate down and locked. The pilot informed air traffic control (ATC) and was directed to an area west of the airport to troubleshoot. Multiple attempts to rectify the issue by cycling the gear handle were unsuccessful. The pilot then executed emergency gear extension procedures, but the gear continued to indicate an intermediate position.
Tower Coordination and Low Pass
The pilot again advised ATC of the situation and performed a low pass by the control tower. However, due to darkness, tower personnel could not visually confirm whether the landing gear was fully extended. After several further attempts to diagnose the problem without success, the pilot decided to conduct a gear-up landing on the runway.
Post-Landing Examination
Subsequent examination of the landing gear system revealed that the chain connecting the main landing gear torque shaft to the nose gear box had dislodged from the sprocket at the nose gear box, exposing several teeth. This misalignment caused the landing gear to operate out of sequence between the main gear and nose gear. Consequently, the nose gear retract nut bottomed out against the nose gear box, preventing full extension of the landing gear through either normal or emergency methods.