A B767-200 HAS TO RETURN LAND WHEN THE L LNDG GEAR RETRACTION CYLINDER FAILED DURING ITS RETRACTION CYCLE DEP SLC; UT.

Narrative

ON TKOF FROM SLC WE HEARD A LOUD BANG JUST AS THE LNDG GEAR CAME UP. ALL ACFT INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. HOWEVER; BECAUSE WE SUSPECTED A LNDG GEAR PROB WE LOWERED THE GEAR TO DETERMINE ITS STATUS. UPON LOWERING THE GEAR WE HAD GREEN LIGHTS IN THE NOSE GEAR AND R MAIN AND UNSAFE INDICATIONS ON THE L GEAR. UPON TURNING AROUND TO THE ARPT; WE EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT SHUDDER AND 10 DEGS OF BANK AND YAW. WE MADE A FLY-BY OF THE TWR AND WERE TOLD BY THE TWR AND OUR MECHS THAT ALL OF THE GEAR APPEARED DOWN. BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE A DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION; WE DECLARED AN EMER AND PREPARED THE CABIN FOR THE POSSIBILITY THE GEAR WOULD COLLAPSE ON LNDG. WE DISCUSSED WITH OUR MAINT COORDINATOR ABOUT USING OUR ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION PROC; BUT CONCLUDED IT WAS NOT APPROPRIATE BECAUSE THE GEAR WAS ALREADY OUT OF THE WELL. WE MADE AN ILS APCH AND NORMAL LNDG; ALTHOUGH I FAVORED THE R SIDE OF THE RWY. THE LNDG WAS NORMAL EXCEPT I FELT A SLIGHT BUMPING ON THE L GEAR AS WE ROLLED OUT. WHEN MAINT INSPECTED THE GEAR THEY FOUND THE RETRACTION CYLINDER HAD SHEARED (PROBABLY JUST AS THE GEAR WAS FULLY RETRACTED ON TKOF; THEREFORE THE LOUD NOISE). WE BELIEVE THE VIOLENT SHUDDER WE FELT WAS WHEN THE GEAR; WHICH HAD APPARENTLY BEEN STUCK IN THE WELL; FELL OUT. THE OVERCTR HYD CYLINDERS WERE BENT; NOT ALLOWING THE GEAR PINS TO BE INSTALLED. MY CRM TRAINING WAS VERY USEFUL IN MANAGING THIS SIT; WHICH WAS NOT A 'TEXTBOOK' CASE. EVERYONE WE TALKED TO CONTRIBUTED SOME INFO WHICH I WAS ABLE TO USE TO MAKE APPROPRIATE DECISIONS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 457966: THIS WAS MY FIRST FLT IN THE B767; AND AN IOE FLT. A QUALIFIED FO TOOK THE R SEAT AND THE IOE CHK CAPT TOOK THE L SEAT. I ASSUMED THE JUMP SEAT. A DECISION WAS MADE TO LOWER THE GEAR. THE NOSE GEAR AND R MAIN GEAR INDICATED DOWN. THE L MAIN GEAR WAS NOT DOWN. DURING A TURN BACK TO SLC THE L MAIN GEAR DROPPED DOWN (STILL NO DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION).