What happened
On 13 August 2000, a Lake LA-4, registration G-BOLL, was performing a visual approach to Runway 21 at Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man, following a flight from Belfast City Airport. During the final stages of the approach, the tower controller observed that the nose landing gear had not been extended and instructed the pilot to perform a go-around. However, the aircraft touched down before the instruction could be completed.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft slid across the runway intersection and over a small grass area, eventually coming to a stop on Runway 17, approximately 25 metres south of the Runway 08/26 intersection. While the Airport Fire Service attended the scene, no fire occurred, and the three occupants—the pilot and two passengers—were able to exit the aircraft without injury. The incident resulted in damage to the nose landing gear door, the right float, and the keel.
The investigation
The investigation established that during the cruise phase of the flight, the pilot had switched the electric fuel pump to the 'off' position and had also unintentionally switched the hydraulic pump to 'off'. During the pre-landing checklist, the pilot failed to wait for the blue light indicator to illuminate, a process that typically takes approximately 30 seconds to confirm the gear is locked in the down position. Based on a visual inspection, the pilot believed the nose and left main landing gears were correctly deployed.
Further examination of the aircraft revealed that the landing gear functioned normally once the hydraulic pump switch was reset. The pilot noted that the blue light indicator was positioned low in the cockpit, making it difficult to monitor without significant head movement, particularly while wearing sunglasses.
Findings
- The pilot inadvertently selected the hydraulic pump to the off position during flight.
- The pilot did not wait for the required 30-second delay for the blue light to confirm the landing gear was locked down.
- A visual inspection led the pilot to believe the nose and left main gear were extended, whereas the right main gear partially retracted upon touchdown.
- The low position of the gear indicator and the use of sunglasses contributed to the difficulty in verifying the gear status.