What happened
On 25 November 2011, a Rockwell Commander 112B, registration G-BFPO, was conducting a private flight at Coventry Airport. The aircraft was performing its inaugural flight following recent maintenance work. During the initial climb out, the pilot observed a reduction in engine RPM.
While on approach to land, the pilot activated the landing gear lever. Although the gear had been cycled successfully in flight earlier, only two green lights illuminated in the cockpit, with the nose gear indication failing to show as down. Suspecting that the microswitch on the right main landing gear had shifted during the recent maintenance, the pilot decided to proceed with the landing.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft's nose dropped, causing the propeller to strike the runway. This impact resulted in damage to the propeller blades and caused the engine to undergo a shock-load. The pilot subsequently applied full power and performed a second takeoff with flaps extended, noting some vibration during the flight. The pilot landed again without further incident, and airfield fire services inspected the runway after observing sparks during the initial touchdown.
The investigation
An investigation into the event established that the pilot's assumption regarding the landing gear malfunction was incorrect. While the pilot believed the issue originated with the right main gear microswitch, the investigation determined that the actual fault lay with the nose gear green light, which had failed to illuminate.