Beech 60 Duke accident at Hyères-Le-Palyvestre (N48GC)

Flight and incident sequence On 18 August 2012, a Beech 60 “Duke” registered N48GC departed the aerodrome of Cuers-Pierrefeu at about 20:20 local time for a local flight, carrying a pilot and one passenger. During the approach, the green indicator light showing that the nose landing gear was locked down did not illuminate. The pilot tested the indicator lights and confirmed that they were functioning. He then retracted and extended the landing gear, but the light remained off. Rather than using the emergency gear-extension procedure, he decided to land in order to check whether the gear was down and locked. During the final approach, the audible warning indicating that the gear was not down and locked sounded. On touchdown, the pilot observed that the nose of the aircraft dropped more than usual and applied full power. He diverted to the aerodrome of Hyères in order to benefit from rescue services and a longer runway. He made a low pass so that the controller could indicate whether the gear was down, but the controller could not see it because of the night. The pilot then carried out the emergency gear-extension procedure, but the indicator light remained off. The landing itself was normal. During the taxi to the parking area, the aircraft’s landing lights were not working, so the pilot did not see the taxiway and taxied off the runway. The nose gear then retracted.