History of Flight
On 29 October 2000 at 1714 UTC, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registration G-NROY, was landing at Norwich Airport following a return flight from Le Touquet. On approach to Runway 27, the pilot observed a flickering red warning light for the nose landing gear, indicating an unsafe condition, although the three green lights had been obtained after gear selection down. The pilot initiated a go-around and subsequently approached Runway 22 due to crosswind. Landing gear was again selected down, but upon touchdown, the nose lowered excessively, prompting another go-around; the pilot suspected the propeller may have contacted the runway. After becoming airborne, the landing gear would not retract. The pilot attempted emergency extension by reducing airspeed and applying pitch-up loads, but could not obtain a green light for the nose gear. The aircraft orbited for approximately 15 minutes in bumpy conditions as emergency services positioned. The wind was reported as 200° at 14 kt, gusting 28 kt. The pilot made a final approach to Runway 22 without a green nose gear indication. After touchdown, the nose gear collapsed, followed by the left main landing gear. The aircraft came to rest on grass left of the runway. No injuries occurred among the seven occupants.
Examination of the Landing Gear System
The hydraulic pump electric motor was found inoperative due to worn brushes. The manufacturer specifies a 500-hour inspection period for the motor; the last inspection was in December 1997 at 2,745 aircraft hours, and the aircraft had flown an additional 316 hours. The nose gear downlock microswitch was slightly mis-rigged, causing the red 'unsafe' light to illuminate when firm hand pressure was applied to the downlock linkage, although the gear remained locked.
Discussion
The mis-rigged microswitch raised the possibility that the nose gear might have been locked down during the initial approach, despite the flickering red light. The failure of the gear to retract after the second go-around was caused by the hydraulic pump motor failure. The emergency free-fall procedure did not achieve nose gear downlock. The left main gear collapsed after the nose gear, likely due to suction in the hydraulic lines generated by the rapid nose gear collapse. Examination revealed no defect in the nose gear. During the emergency attempt, deteriorating weather and turbulent conditions may have made it difficult for the pilot to reduce airspeed to the required 87 kt for free-fall without approaching stall speed. Additionally, the landing gear had not been fully retracted at the start of the emergency attempt, which may have affected the outcome.