Incident Details
During an approach to the intended destination, the pilot attempted to lower the landing gear, but nothing happened. The pilot elected to divert to an airport with additional capabilities and assistance. The emergency gear extension procedure was executed but was not successful. Before landing, the tower controller observed that the left main landing gear appeared fully extended, the nose landing gear was in a dragging condition, and the right main landing gear remained retracted. The pilot noted that the red gear unlocked indicator light was illuminated and the green landing gear down/locked indicators were not illuminated.
Emergency Landing
With no further options available to extend the gear, the pilot executed an emergency landing. The airplane touched down on the left main wheel, which initially did not collapse. Subsequently, the right wing dropped and contacted the runway. The pilot applied left wheel brakes, but the airplane departed the right side of the runway pavement and came to rest in the grass. During the landing, the left main landing gear collapsed and a runway light was damaged.
Post-Accident Inspection
The post-accident inspection revealed that a hydraulic powerpak drain line (Piper part number 46138-00) was ruptured. The drain line was located in the nose section of the airplane, forward of the cabin pressure bulkhead. The rupture was approximately one-half inch long. Hydraulic fluid was observed in the vicinity of the line rupture, and the hydraulic reservoir was empty. The airplane was substantially damaged during the emergency landing.