ATX PLT OF A BEECH BARON BE58 LANDED GEAR UP AFTER ALL EFFORTS FAILED TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN PRIOR TO LNDG. ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO ACFT AND THE SOLO OCCUPANT; THE PLT RPTR; WAS NOT INJURED.

Narrative

ON OCT/XX/97 AT APPROX XA58 I WAS FORCED TO LAND MY BEECHCRAFT BE58 BARON GEAR UP AT AGC AFTER BOTH NORMAL AND EMER GEAR EXTENSION PROCS FAILED TO PRODUCE A GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED CONDITION. IT WAS THE FIRST LEG OF MY PART 135 FREIGHT RTE ORIGINATING OUT OF PHL WITH A PLANNED DEST OF AGC. THE DEP OUT OF PHL; ENRTE PORTION; AND INITIAL APCH INTO AGC WERE ALL UNEVENTFUL. PITTSBURGH APCH CLRED ME FOR THE ILS RWY 28 AT AGC. I BROKE OUT AT APPROX 3500 FT MSL; AND INTERCEPTED THE GS AT 3000 FT. SOMEWHERE IN THIS VICINITY OF TIME I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT AGC TWR. AFTER DOING SO; I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 28. AT GS INTERCEPT; I SELECTED GEAR DOWN AND GOT NO RESPONSE. I DID NOT HEAR THE GEAR MOTOR; NOR DID I OBSERVE A GEAR DOWN INDICATION WHICH IN THIS PARTICULAR BARON IS 1 GREEN LIGHT FOR THE MAIN GEAR AND A MECHANICAL POINTER THAT INDICATES NOSE GEAR POS. MY FIRST ACTION WAS TO RECYCLE THE GEAR SELECTOR HANDLE. I STILL WAS UNABLE TO GET A GEAR DOWN INDICATION. I THEN CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL AND FOUND THAT THE LNDG GEAR MOTOR BREAKER WAS IN THE 'OUT' POS. I RESET THE BREAKER AND ATTEMPTED AGAIN TO EXTEND THE GEAR IN THE NORMAL FASHION. STILL NO GEAR DOWN INDICATION WAS OBTAINED; AND THE LNDG GEAR MOTOR BREAKER POPPED IN THE ATTEMPT. MY ATTN NOW SHIFTED TOWARDS AN EMER MANUAL EXTENSION OF THE LNDG GEAR; BUT FIRST I NOTIFIED AGC TWR OF MY SIT. I ADVISED THEM THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND WAS; SO FAR; UNABLE TO GET THE GEAR DOWN. I TOLD THEM THAT MY INTENTIONS WERE TO DISCONTINUE THE APCH; MAINTAIN 2000 FT MSL; AND TO ENTER THE PATTERN WHILE I MANUALLY CRANKED THE GEAR DOWN. VERY SOON AFTERWARDS; I DECIDED THAT 2500 FT MSL WAS A MORE SUITABLE ALT. IT GAVE ME A COMFORTABLE AMOUNT OF TERRAIN CLRNC WHILE STILL ALLOWING ME TO REMAIN OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN VMC. I PULLED OUT MY COMPANY ISSUED BEECH 58 EMER PROCS CHKLIST AND FOLLOWED THE STEPS FOR 'LNDG GEAR MANUAL EXTENSION.' WHEN IT CAME TIME TO TURN THE HANDCRANK; I NOTICED IMMEDIATELY THAT IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. AS I TURNEDTHE CRANK COUNTERCLOCKWISE; I FELT NEARLY NO RESISTANCE THROUGH THE HANDLE EXCEPT FOR A 'CLICKING' AT THE RATE OF APPROX ONCE PER REVOLUTION. AFTER FOLLOWING AND COMPLETING THE 'LNDG GEAR MANUAL EXTENSION' CHKLIST; EXACTLY AS IT APPEARED IN THE BEECH 58 EMER PROCS CHKLIST; I STILL WAS UNABLE TO GET THE LNDG GEAR EXTENDED. AS I CONTINUED CIRCLING; AGC TWR BEGAN TO RELAY MESSAGES BTWN MYSELF AND MY COMPANY MAINT DEPT. TOGETHER; WE DISCUSSED THE SIT AND FURTHER ATTEMPTED TO SOLVE IT. WE CONFIRMED THAT ALL CHKLIST ITEMS AND PROCS WERE CORRECTLY FOLLOWED AND THAT ALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS; SELECTORS; HANDCRANKS; ETC WERE IN THE APPROPRIATE POS. SOMEWHERE IN THIS TIME FRAME; IT WAS SUGGESTED BY THE MAINT DEPT THAT PERHAPS MY GEAR WAS IN FACT DOWN WITHOUT MY KNOWING. TO VERIFY; I MADE A LOW APCH ON RWY 28. WHILE DOING SO; I OBSERVED THE GEAR WARNING HORN AS THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDED TO APPROX 15 INCHES. THIS WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR A GEAR UP CONDITION. TWR CONFIRMED THAT MY GEAR WAS IN FACT UP AS IT APPEARED TO HIM. I CLBED BACK TO 2500 FT MSL WHILE REMAINING IN THE PATTERN. THE MESSAGE I NEXT INTERPED THROUGH TWR WAS THAT MAINT COULD THINK OF NO FURTHER SUGGESTIONS. I AGREED THAT I TOO COULD THINK OF NOTHING FURTHER TO TRY. 48 MINS; I LATER LEARNED FROM ONE OF THE TWR CTLRS; ELAPSED BTWN THE TIME I FIRST ANNOUNCED MY GEAR PROB AND THE TIME I ULTIMATELY TOUCHED DOWN. DURING THIS PERIOD; I MADE EVERY ATTEMPT TO TROUBLESHOOT AND REMEDY THE PROB. I FOLLOWED PROCS AND CHKLISTS EXACTLY AS TRAINED. I FELT THAT I DID ALL I COULD UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THAT ALL OPTIONS WERE EXHAUSTED. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT I MADE THE DECISION TO GO AHEAD AND LAND ON RWY 31 AT AGC. THE TOUCHDOWN AND ROLLOUT WERE RELATIVELY UNEVENTFUL; IN THE SENSE THAT I HAD MORE THAN ADEQUATE CTL OF THE ACFT TO KEEP IT SAFELY UPRIGHT AND TRACKING DOWN THE CTR OF THE RWY. TOWARDS THE VERY END OF THE SKID; THE ACFT NOSE DID BEGIN TO VEER R SLIGHTLY; BUT BY THIS TIME THE ACFT HAD ALREADY COME TO A NEAR FULL STOPON THE RWY. LOOKING AT THE PLANE AFTERWARDS; IT'S MY GUESS THAT THE PAX STEP BY THE CARGO DOOR WAS DRAGGING ON THE R SIDE AND CAUSING THE VEERING IN THAT DIRECTION. NEVERTHELESS; I OBSERVED NO SMOKE; SIGNS OF FIRE; OR LEAKING FUEL OR OTHER FLUIDS; DURING OR AFTER THE LNDG. I EVACED THE ACFT PROMPTLY AFTER IT CAME TO REST.