Incident Summary
The single-engine airplane sustained substantial damage during a gear-up landing. The pilot was cruising at 10,500 feet when the autopilot disengaged. After resetting it, the autopilot disengaged again a few minutes later. The pilot observed the ammeter discharging and system voltage dropping rapidly from 28 volts toward 20 volts.
Pilot Actions
The pilot notified air traffic control of the situation and descended toward a nearby airport. He reduced all nonessential electrical loads and slowed the airplane, during which the system voltage dropped further to approximately 12-14 volts. After establishing an orbit over the airport, he attempted to lower the landing gear using the normal system, which was unsuccessful. He then made numerous attempts to manually extend the gear using the hand-operated emergency hydraulic pump handle. The nose wheel extended, but the main landing gear extended only 3 to 4 inches.
After circling for 30 to 45 minutes, the pilot decided to land with the gear retracted. The airplane touched down on the runway, slid approximately 1,000 feet, and veered off to the south side.
Post-Landing Examination
Ground crews placed the airplane on jacks and were able to pull the landing gear into the down-and-locked position. No evidence of a hydraulic fluid leak was found. During a subsequent examination of the airplane, the pilot determined that the landing gear motor had malfunctioned and that he had not properly engaged the emergency pump handle prior to attempting manual extension of the landing gear.