PARTIAL GEAR UP LNDG IN A C177RG AT LNS ARPT.

Narrative

I DEPARTED FDK AT APPROX XA45Z. I CLBED TO 5500 FT. SHORTLY AFTER DEP; JUST TO THE SW OF LANCASTER; PA; I HEARD A RELATIVELY LOUD POP COMING FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT. THE SOUND OF THE ENG CHANGED AND I NOTICED A LOSS OF APPROX 10 KTS AIRSPD. I SUSPECTED SOME TYPE OF ENG PROB; AND IMMEDIATELY REDUCED PWR AS A PRECAUTION. HOWEVER; I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY OTHER INDICATION OF AN ENG PROB. ALL TEMPS AND THE OIL PRESSURE REMAINED NORMAL AS I GRADUALLY INCREASED PWR AGAIN. I DETERMINED THAT I WOULD MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT LNS. I CALLED LNS TWR AND ADVISED THAT I WAS INBOUND. I STAYED HIGH IN CASE THERE WAS AN ENG PROB. WHEN IT WAS CLR THAT I COULD MAKE THE ARPT; I ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE GEAR; BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. I ADVISED LNS TWR THAT I WOULD REMAIN OUTSIDE THEIR PATTERN BECAUSE I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY LOWERING THE GEAR. THEY CLRED ME TO ORBIT THE FIELD. I SPENT APPROX THE NEXT HR FOLLOWING THE EMER PROCS TO EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR NUMEROUS TIMES. I WAS UNABLE TO PUMP THE GEAR DOWN MANUALLY OR TO GET THE ELECTRIC HYD SYS TO OPERATE. IT APPEARED THAT THE HYD PUMP WAS RUNNING SO I SUSPECTED A LOSS OF HYD FLUID. I DID NOT HAVE A GREEN LIGHT FOR THE GEAR; SO I ASKED THE TWR FOR PERMISSION TO CONDUCT A LOW APCH TO DETERMINE IF THE GEAR WAS PARTIALLY EXTENDED. THEY CLRED ME FOR A LOW APCH AND CONFIRMED THAT THE MAIN GEAR WAS PARTIALLY EXTENDED AND TRAILING. LNS TWR OFFERED TO RELAY A REQUEST TO THE FBO ON THE FIELD AND THEY ALLOWED ME TO SPEAK TO THE MAINT STAFF ON THE UNICOM FREQ TO ASK IF THEY HAD ANY ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS. WE WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL AND I ASKED THE TWR FOR CLRNC TO LAND. THE TWR STAFF ARRANGED FOR EMER SVCS AND CLRED ME TO LAND. I SET UP THE APCH FOLLOWING THE PROCS IN THE POH. I SHUT THE ENG OFF ON FINAL AND COMPLETED THE LNDG DEAD STICK. I HOPED TO GET THE PROP STOPPED PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN; BUT I WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. THE LNDG WAS SMOOTH AND UNEVENTFUL EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT THE GEAR WAS ONLY PARTIALLY EXTENDED. DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS MINOR. SUBSEQUENTLY; IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A HYD LINE TO THE NOSE GEAR HAD FAILED INFLT. THIS WAS THE POP THAT I HAD HEARD COMING FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT. THIS HAD ALLOWED THE LNDG GEAR TO PARTIALLY EXTEND INFLT AND HAD CAUSED THE LOSS OF AIRSPD. AT THAT POINT; THE HYD FLUID WAS LOST AND NEITHER THE ELECTRIC PUMP NOR THE MANUAL PUMP WAS CAPABLE OF PUMPING THE GEAR DOWN. LESSONS LEARNED FOR ME: NOT ALL THAT POPS IN THE ENG COMPARTMENT INDICATES AN ENG PROB. I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED SOONER THAT I HAD A GEAR PROB RATHER THAN AN ENG PROB. I AM CERTAIN THAT THE 'GEAR UP' LIGHT MUST HAVE GONE OUT AND THE 'GEAR IN TRANSIT' LIGHT MUST HAVE COME ON AS SOON AS THE LINE FAILED AND THE GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED; BUT I DID NOT NOTICE. I WAS FIXATED ON THE IDEA THAT IT MUST BE AN ENG PROB. (IT WOULD NOT HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE SINCE THE HYD FLUID WAS ALREADY GONE.) I NEVER REALIZED UNTIL NOW THAT BOTH SYS TO LOWER THE GEAR IN THE C177RG ARE DEPENDENT UPON THE SINGLE HYD FLUID SYS. IT HAS AN ELECTRIC PUMP THAT IS THE STANDARD METHOD OF OPERATING THE GEAR. IT HAS A BACKUP SYS THAT USES A MANUAL PUMP. HOWEVER; THE MANUAL PUMP USES THE SAME HYD FLUID. I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THIS PREVIOUSLY. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR STUDYING THE SYS ON YOUR ACFT. THE LNDG GEAR ON A C177RG WILL PROBABLY NOT 'FREE FALL' INTO PLACE IF HYD FLUID IS LOST. THE POH DOES NOT EVEN MENTION TRYING TO GET THE GEAR TO FREE FALL. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS BEFORE I BOUGHT THE ACFT. IT PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE -- I LOVE THE ACFT. HOWEVER; THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT YOUR ACFT AND ITS SYS.