ATX PLT LANDS HIS ACFT AFTER AN IMC APCH IN A NIGHT OP. NOSE GEAR HAD NOT INDICATED DOWN AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AT LOWERING; LANDS AND SKIDS TO A STOP ON HIS NOSE. QUOTE 'SURPRISE!'

Date: 1992-01 · Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Recip Eng

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical

Synopsis

ATX PLT LANDS HIS ACFT AFTER AN IMC APCH IN A NIGHT OP. NOSE GEAR HAD NOT INDICATED DOWN AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AT LOWERING; LANDS AND SKIDS TO A STOP ON HIS NOSE. QUOTE 'SURPRISE!'

Narrative

I DEPARTED PHL ARPT AT XY40 PM (JAN/THU/92) ENRTE TO AGC ARPT. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE FLT WAS NORMAL UNTIL I SELECTED GEAR DOWN AT GS INTERCEPT ON THE ILS 28 APCH INTO AGC ARPT. I DID NOT GET 3 GREEN LIGHTS; THE 2 MAINS ILLUMINATED BUT NO NOSE GEAR INDICATION. I FIRST TESTED THE PUSH TO TEST SWITCH; TO ENSURE THE BULB WAS WORKING - - IT WAS. THE NEXT THING I DID WAS RECYCLED THE GEAR -- STILL NO NOSE GEAR INDICATOR. I RECYCLED THE GEAR ONE LAST TIME -- STILL NO NOSE GEAR. (NOTE: EVERY TIME I CYCLED THE GEAR UP; THE UP AND LOCKED LIGHT ILLUMINATED; WHICH WAS NORMAL.) WITH THE RVR AT 4000 I KNEW A LOW APCH AT AGC WOULD DO NO GOOD. THE TWR WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TELL ME IF THE NOSE APPEARED TO BE DOWN. I LOOKED INTO THE SPINNERS TO SEE IF I COULD SEE THE NOSE GEAR BUT IT WAS TOO DARK. I RETARDED A THROTTLE AND AS EXPECTED THE GEAR HORN WENT OFF. HISTORY OF THIS ACFT: ON THE PRECEDING NIGHT; A DIFFERENT PLT HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. HE DID THE SAME PROCS I DID; LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ACFT WAS WORKED ON IN PHL AND THE 60-1 WAS SIGNED OFF PROPERLY BY AN A&P. KNOWING THIS; AND THE HISTORY OF ALL SMT'S (THE FACT THAT THE NOSE GEAR DOWN AND LOCK SWITCH GETS STUCK IN COLD WX); I LANDED THE ACFT AND TO MY SURPRISE THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED. ONCE I EXITED THE AIRPLANE I LOOKED AT THE NOSE AND SAW THAT THE GEAR DOORS WERE SHUT AND NOT DAMAGED. THE NOSE GEAR SIMPLY DID NOT COME OUT. I DID NOT NOTIFY ATC BECAUSE I DID NOT NEED PRIORITY HANDLING. THEY COULD NOT ASSIST ME. IN ALL HONESTY I THOUGHT THE GEAR WAS DOWN. I WISH MANUFACTURER COULD FIX THIS PROBLEM WITH THE LNDG GEAR AND MAKE A BETTER EMER CHKLIST; BESIDES CYCLING THE GEAR.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.