What happened
On February 2, 2018, a Piper PA30 Twin Comanche, registration G-CDHF, departed from Nangis Les-Loges for Roanne. Upon arrival, the pilot noticed that the landing gear lock confirmation light failed to illuminate while extending the gear during a tailwind approach. To verify the gear position, the pilot performed a low-altitude pass over the control tower, where the AFIS agent reported that the gear appeared not to be fully extended.
In an attempt to rectify the situation, the pilot performed the emergency gear extension procedure four times, but the lock confirmation remained unlit. After circling the airfield for approximately one hour to manage fuel levels, the pilot decided to perform a precautionary landing on the unpleated glider runway (runway 02). During the landing, the landing gear retracted upon contact with the ground, causing the aircraft to slide approximately 150 meters before coming to a stop. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the failure of the landing gear to lock in the down position. The pilot, an experienced aviator with 8,600 total flight hours, noted that while they had encountered similar gear locking issues twice previously, the emergency extension procedure had successfully resolved those instances. The investigation also reviewed the meteorological conditions, which included visibility over 10 km and winds from 330° at 9 to 13 knots.