Introduction
On 13 July 2005, at 1128 UTC, a Piper PA-28R-201 Cherokee Arrow III, registration G-BYYO, experienced a landing gear malfunction while returning to Stapleford Aerodrome, Essex. The aircraft, manufactured in 1994, was being used for a training flight with two crew on board and no passengers.
Incident Details
Upon arrival, the pilot selected the landing gear to the down position, but only two of the three green indicator lights illuminated. After flying past the radio operator, the pilot was informed that the right main landing gear was not extended. The pilot decided to leave the circuit to troubleshoot the problem. She attempted the emergency extension procedure by holding down the emergency extension lever, yawing the aircraft, and pulling some G-force, but the gear did not extend. She also swapped the indicator bulbs, but this did not resolve the issue.
With the right main gear still retracted, the pilot elected to land on the grass Runway 22. She executed a flapless approach, touching down on the left main gear and keeping the right wing elevated as long as possible. During the landing, the aircraft yawed to the right, but the landing was otherwise well controlled. The only damage was a scrape to the wing tip and a damaged wing step behind the right wing. There were no injuries to the crew.
Aircraft Systems
The PA-28R-201 Arrow is equipped with a hydraulically operated landing gear and an emergency extension system. The emergency system uses a lever mounted between the front seats that allows hydraulic fluid to recirculate, enabling the gear to lower by gravity. The gear is locked down by spring forces and held in the retracted position by hydraulic pressure. The aircraft was not fitted with an automatic backup gear extender system. Each main landing gear has a single gear door attached to the oleo.
Post-Incident Inspection
After the incident, the aircraft was jacked up, and the right main landing gear extended and locked without difficulty. The chief engineer reported that the aircraft was towed to a hangar, where repeated checks of both the normal and emergency extension systems were performed. No malfunctions were observed, and there was no evidence of any interference in the landing gear bay. The aircraft was returned to service and subsequently flew over 200 hours without any recurrence of the problem.