A LEAR 35 RETURNED TO THE FIELD AFTER DEP AND DUMPING FUEL DUE TO UNABLE TO RETRACT THE LNDG GEAR.

Date: 1999-01 · Aircraft: Learjet 35 · Phase: initial_climb

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-gear-problem

Synopsis

A LEAR 35 RETURNED TO THE FIELD AFTER DEP AND DUMPING FUEL DUE TO UNABLE TO RETRACT THE LNDG GEAR.

Narrative

ON DEP FROM RWY 36R AT MCO; WE EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY IN RETRACTING THE LNDG GEAR. WHEN WE WERE XFERRED TO DEP; WE ADVISED MCO THAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING A GEAR RETRACTION PROB; AND WE MIGHT NEED TO RETURN FOR A LNDG. WE REQUESTED RADAR VECTORS WHILE WE RECYCLED THE LNDG GEAR. WE WERE ALLOWED TO CLB TO 6000 FT AND VECTORED WITHIN MCO'S AIRSPACE. WE CHKED OUR CIRCUIT BREAKERS; CONSULTED OUR CHKLIST AND CYCLED THE GEAR SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE GEAR REMAINED DOWN AND LOCKED. AT THIS POINT WE ELECTED TO RETURN FOR LNDG BUT WE WERE 700 LBS ABOVE LNDG WT. RATHER THAN FLYING FOR AN ADDITIONAL 30 MINS TO BURN OFF THE 700 LBS; WE ELECTED TO DUMP FUEL AND COORDINATED THE FUEL DUMP WITH MCO. WHEN THE FUEL DUMP WAS COMPLETE AND WE WERE BEING VECTORED BACK FOR LNDG; WE AGAIN CYCLED THE GEAR AND IT WORKED FLAWLESSLY; BUT NOW WE WOULD NEED TO REFUEL BEFORE RETURNING TO OUR DEST (PWK). WE ASCERTAINED THE PROB AS A STUCK SQUAT SWITCH; POSSIBLY DUE TO THE RECENT PAINT OF THE AIRPLANE. WE LANDED; INSPECTED THE GEAR VISUALLY; REFUELED; AND DEPARTED TO PWK WITHOUT INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS CHKED ON THE GND AND THE BEST GUESS WAS PAINT OVERSPRAY ON A GEAR POS WARNING SWITCH. THE RPTR SAID THE LNDG GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY BACK TO PWK WHERE THE ACFT WAS JACKED AND THE LNDG GEAR TESTED AND OPERATED NORMALLY. THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN IN MCO FOR A COMPLETE PAINT JOB.

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