Incident Details
On July 3, 2009, at approximately 0540 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 441, registration N988AE, owned and operated by Air Evac Services Incorporated, was substantially damaged following an intentional gear-up landing at Albuquerque International Sunport (KABQ), Albuquerque, New Mexico. The repositioning flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 with an instrument flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airline transport pilot and two crew members were not injured. The flight had departed Double Eagle II Airport (KAEG) at 0320.
Pilot Actions
According to the pilot's statement, the flight was dispatched to pick up a trauma patient in Socorro, New Mexico. En route, thunderstorms developed along the intended route, so the pilot decided to return to KAEG. While on final approach, the landing gear down was selected, and the landing gear circuit breaker popped. After one minute, the pilot reset the circuit breaker, but it popped again. When the landing gear handle was raised, the circuit breaker remained reset until the gear handle was selected down. The pilot initiated the "Landing Gear Will Not Extend Normally" checklist. After activating the nitrogen blowdown bottle, the crew heard nitrogen flow, but the landing gear did not extend. The pilot attempted maneuvers to lower the gear. Despite troubleshooting, another pilot using night vision goggles confirmed the gear remained retracted during a low approach at KAEG. The pilot elected to land gear-up on runway 03 at KABQ. During the landing flare, both engines were shut off, and the airplane settled onto the runway, sliding to the right before stopping.
Examination Findings
After recovery, an examination under the supervision of a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed a loose fitting on the nitrogen bottle distribution system, resulting in failure of the emergency extension system. Maintenance records showed work performed in the area of that fitting in July 2008. A gear extension and retraction test found no anomalies. However, additional testing on the landing gear selector switch by the operator replicated the circuit breaker popping condition when the gear down was selected.