What happened
On May 1, 2016, a Piper PA-28R-201, operated by Goldwings Flight Academy, was conducting an IFR flight from EPBC to EDDS. During the ILS approach to Stuttgart (EDDS) under VMC conditions, the pilot moved the landing gear lever to the down position but noticed that none of the landing gear indicator lights were illuminated.
After several attempts to extend the gear, the pilot moved the throttle to the idle position to check for the audible warning signal that indicates the gear is retracted. No such audio signal was heard. The pilot contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) to report uncertainty regarding the gear position. The tower controller informed the pilot that the landing gear appeared to be extended. Based on this visual confirmation, the pilot proceeded with the landing, which was completed without further incident.
The investigation
Following the event, an investigation was conducted by the operator. Upon reaching the parking stand, the pilot inspected the cockpit and discovered that the DAY/NIGHT avionics dimming switch was set to the NIGHT position.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the setting of the avionics DAY/NIGHT dimming switch to the NIGHT position.
- This specific setting rendered the landing gear indicator lights invisible under daylight cockpit lighting conditions.