Incident Overview
The airplane sustained substantial damage when the pilot landed with the landing gear partially extended. The pilot reported that he placed the landing gear selector to the down position while on the base leg and saw the landing gear position indicator light illuminate. Upon touchdown, the main landing gear contacted the runway, causing the airplane to pitch downward until the propeller struck the runway.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination at the scene showed that both the landing gear and flap selectors were in the down position; however, the landing gear was not fully extended. The landing gear circuit breaker had tripped. The flaps were found fully extended. After the airplane was lifted, the main landing gear fully extended following a reset of the circuit breaker and application of electrical power. The nose landing gear did not extend and had to be manually pulled from the wheel well after the nose landing gear doors were pried open. When the main landing gear was fully extended and locked, the landing gear indicator light illuminated.
Component Findings
During testing, the landing gear warning horn did not sound because a resistor and its associated wiring were absent from the circuit. The left and right main landing gear push/pull rods were bent, and the nose landing gear push/pull rod was broken at its transmission attach point. After disconnecting the rods from the landing gear bellcranks, both main and nose landing gear assemblies retracted and extended without any binding.