PIPER SENECA LANDS SYR IN EMER CONDITION WITH PARTIAL GEAR UP.
Synopsis
PIPER SENECA LANDS SYR IN EMER CONDITION WITH PARTIAL GEAR UP.
Narrative
I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT; AND WAS GIVEN CLRNC FOR THE VISUAL APCH. I HAD EXTENDED A NOTCH OF FLAPS AND DROPPED THE GEAR AT 110 KTS TO SLOW DOWN AND INCREASE MY DSCNT RATE. THE RED GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THE R MAIN GEAR DOWN GREEN LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. I SLOWED FURTHER AND CYCLED THE GEAR UP AND BACK DOWN; CHKING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IN. THE NOSE GEAR WAS VISIBLY RETRACTING AND EXTENDING IN THE COWL MIRROR; BUT THE SAME UNSAFE INDICATIONS PERSISTED. I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I HAD A GEAR PROB AND ASKED TO BE VECTORED CLR TO TROUBLESHOOT. I WAS ASSIGNED AN ALT AND HEADING OUT OVER THE LAKE. ONCE STABLE; I FOLLOWED THE EMER CHKLIST IN THE AFM TO PERFORM A MANUAL EXTENSION AT 85 KTS. I SLOWED TO 80 KTS AND WORKED THE RUDDERS; LISTENING FOR ANY SIGN OF ACTUAL R MAIN EXTENSION. THE UNSAFE LIGHT INDICATIONS WERE STILL PRESENT. I RETRACTED THE FLAPS AND REVIEWED THE PROC AGAIN. AT THIS POINT; THE CTLR ADVISED OF A LINE OF LEVEL 2 AND 4 CELLS APCHING THE FIELD FROM THE W. I DECLARED AN EMER; REQUESTED THE EQUIP; AND EXPLAINED MY SIT; FUEL STATE; AND SOULS ON BOARD. I REVIEWED THESE ITEMS WITH THE CTLR AGAIN; AND WAS GIVEN A HEADING TO THE ARPT; PICKED UP THE RWY VISUALLY; AND WAS CLRED TO LAND. GIVEN THE FACT THAT I COULD NOT SAFELY RETRACT THE GEAR; AND THAT I HAD APPROX 1 HR 50 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING; AND THAT THE WX SURROUNDING THE ARPT WOULD NOT PERMIT ORBITING VFR TO BURN ADDITIONAL FUEL; I ELECTED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. I ADVISED THE TWR THAT I WOULD CONTINUE AND LAND ON RWY 28. THEY CONFIRMED THAT MY R MAIN GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED. AT THIS POINT I WAS ON SHORT FINAL; SAW THAT THE EQUIP WAS READY; AND THE TWR ISSUED A WINDSHEAR PERIMETER ALERT FOR THE W SIDE OF THE ARPT. I COULD SEE THAT SAFE LNDG CONDITIONS WOULD ONLY BE AVAILABLE FOR ANOTHER SEVERAL MINS. I THEN DECIDED TO COMMIT TO A SUCCESSFUL LNDG. I TOUCHED DOWN AT A LOWER THAN NORMAL SPD AND HELD THE R WING UP USING AILERON CTL. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN AND RETARDING THE THROTTLES I SHUT OFF THE MIXTURE CTLS AND FEATHERED THE PROPS. I SHUT OFF THE MAGNETOS AND ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES; AND CLOSED THE FUEL CTLS PRIOR TO ALLOWING THE R WING TO SLOWLY SETTLE UNDER AILERON CTL. SINCE THE WIND WAS BLOWING HARD FROM THE SW I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE ACFT WITHOUT BRAKES AND HOLD THE WING UP FOR A LONG TIME. THE PROPS FEATHERED AND DID NOT STRIKE THE ASPHALT. I WAS ABLE TO USE NOSEWHEEL STEERING AND TRIED TO GENTLY AIM AT A WIDE TXWY IN FRONT OF ME TO CLR THE RWY AT A SLOW SPD. THE ACFT STOPPED IN THE TXWY AND I EXITED THE COPLT'S DOOR AFTER CHKING ALL SWITCHES IN THE OFF POS. I WAS NOT INJURED. THIS INCIDENT AND DAMAGE TO THE ACFT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY PROPER REPAIR OF THE LNDG GEAR. THE GEAR HINGES APPEARED ON INITIAL POST-INCIDENT MECHANICAL INSPECTION TO HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED; BUT THIS PROB WAS NOT VISIBLE ON PREFLT. THE HINGES APPEARED NORMAL ON PREFLT. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE GEAR TEST ON JACKS AND TEST FLT WOULD NOT HAVE DEMONSTRATED THIS PROB PRIOR TO MY FLT. UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES I BELIEVE THAT ALL OF MY DECISIONS FOLLOWING THE GEAR MALFUNCTION WERE CORRECT AND APPROPRIATE. ONCE MANUALLY EXTENDED; THE GEAR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RETRACTED. THE NEAREST SIMILAR CRASH RESCUE COVERAGE WAS AVAILABLE AT ALBANY; THROUGH LOWERING WX AND POSSIBLE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. I DID NOT WANT TO CONSIDER OTHER RWYS AT SYR DUE TO THE STRONG WIND AND APCHING RAIN SHOWERS; AND I DID NOT FAVOR LNDG ON THE GRASS; AS THAT SURFACE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BE SMOOTH IN ADVANCE OF MY LNDG. SINCE THE RWY IN FRONT OF ME WAS THE ONLY ONE AVAILABLE WITHOUT WINDSHEAR AND HVY RAIN FOR ANOTHER SEVERAL MINS; I BELIEVE THAT THE CHOICE I MADE TO LAND IMMEDIATELY WAS MANDATORY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.