PART 135 OP HAS GEAR PROB; MAKES A GAR.

Narrative

THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT APPROX LUNCH TIME I ASKED THE CHIEF PLT IF I COULD RETURN TO BALTIMORE EARLY; LEAVE FRI NIGHT NOT SAT MORNING. WITHIN THE PAST WK MY GRANDFATHER HAD DIED AND MY GIRLFRIEND WAS ALSO SUFFERING PERSONAL PROBS. NEEDING TO RETURN TO BALTIMORE I ANXIOUSLY AWAITED XX30 HRS WHEN THE CHIEF PLT ADVISED I COULD CALL DISPATCH AND REQUEST EARLY RELEASE. AT XX25 I WAS CALLED FOR A TRIP. IT WAS A LONG EVENING TO SYR; TO BMI WITH A FREIGHT DELAY AT SYR. I BELIEVE IT WAS A COMBINATION OF FACTORS WHICH LED TO THE FOLLOWING EVENTS. ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS (ACTUAL WX 3.0 AND NIGHT); ACUTE FATIGUE (14 HRS MOSTLY NIGHT); AND CHRONIC STRESS (DEATH IN FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIP) ALL HAD A CONTRIBUTING ROLE. AFTER CLRNC FOR ILS RWY 010 (SDF) NORMAL INDICATIONS CONTINUED THROUGH THE APCH UNTIL THE FLARE. AS PWR WAS REDUCED DURING THE FLARE; THE GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED. FULL PWR WAS APPLIED AS A SCRATCHING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE AFT SECTION. AS THE ACFT WAS LEVELED TO AVOID A STALL; CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE RWY BY THE NOSEWHEEL. I ANNOUNCED A GAR TO THE TWR AND ASKED IF THE GEAR COULD BE SEEN. TWR STATED HE COULDN'T SEE; LIKELY DUE TO REDUCED AMBIENT LIGHT AND FOG. 2 COMPANY PLTS ON LINE-UP STATED THAT IT APPEARED THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN BUT NO LNDG GEAR VISIBLE. I SELECTED GEAR-UP POS AFTER PASSING TWR; FOLLOWED BY AMBER GEAR-UP LIGHT. GEAR DOWN POS WAS SELECTED WELL BEFORE GLIDE SLOPE INTERCEPT. THE AMBER LIGHT FOLLOWED AND I VISUALLY CHKED TO ENSURE MAIN GEAR DOWN. I LANDED SLIGHTLY LONG AS A COMPANY PLT ON LINE-UP OBSERVED AND STATED 'GEAR DOWN.' LNDG AND TAXI WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT. MAINT WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE NOSE GEAR DOWN; MAIN GEAR UP ONLY AFTER PLACING GEAR HANDLE DOWN USING MODERATE FORCE; GREATER FORCE NEEDED TO PLACE GEAR HANDLE FULL DOWN. THIS EXPLAINS THE FAMILIAR PROPRIOCEPTIVE (SEAT OF PANTS) SENSING OF 'FEELING GEAR DOWN' AND USING FAMILIAR PWR SETTING; NOT A LESSER PWR SETTING THAT WOULD BE USED TO MAINTAIN GLIDE SLOPE WITH GEAR UP. IF CLEAN (NO GEAR) PWR REQUIRED FOR APCH WOULD HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO A MP TO SOUND THE GEAR UNSAFE HORN EARLIER THAN FLARE.