PIPER SARATOGA R GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LNDG ROLL. PLT EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY WITH GEAR EXTENSION PRIOR TO LNDG.

Date: 2000-05 · Aircraft: PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X · Phase: landing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-gear-collapsed-on-lndg

Synopsis

PIPER SARATOGA R GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LNDG ROLL. PLT EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY WITH GEAR EXTENSION PRIOR TO LNDG.

Narrative

THIS WAS AN INCIDENT CAUSED BY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION AND THERE WAS NOT SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE AS DEFINED BY NTSB 830 AND THEREFORE THIS IS NOT A REPORTABLE ACCIDENT. THIS RPT IS BEING FILED ON THE MECHANICAL FAILURE. ON AN EXTENDED BASE TO FINAL FOR RWY 23 AT CRE (GRAND STRAND); I LOWERED THE GEAR HANDLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR. AT THIS POINT; I DID NOT HAVE 3-GREEN; SO I ATTEMPTED TO RECYCLE THE GEAR. AFTER DOING SO; I CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND FOUND THAT IT HAD POPPED. I RESET IT AND ATTEMPTED TO CYCLE THE GEAR AGAIN; WHICH POPPED THE BREAKER AGAIN. THE GEAR IN TRANSIT LIGHT DID NOT APPEAR EITHER (ALTHOUGH; DOING AN ANNUNCIATOR TEST SHOWED THAT IT COULD BE ILLUMINATED). SINCE I WAS UNABLE TO CONFIRM THAT ALL 3 GEAR WERE DOWN AND LOCKED; I BEGAN TROUBLESHOOTING AND PERFORMED THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION EMER PROC. WHILE TROUBLESHOOTING; I MADE SOME PASSES BY THE TWR TO SEE IF THEY COULD DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE GEAR WAS DOWN. AFTER 45 MINS OF ATTEMPTING TO EXTEND THE GEAR; ONLY THE L AND R MAIN GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND TWR RPTED THAT THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN AND THE LNDG LIGHT WAS VISIBLE. DURING THIS PERIOD; I ATTEMPTED TO SNAP-LOCK THE GEAR INTO PLACE BY YAW AND PITCH; POWERED OFF ALL NON-ESSENTIAL LIGHTING AND RADIO EQUIP IN THE ACFT AND ATTEMPTED TO RECYCLE THE GEAR. EVEN WITH THE GEAR LEVER IN THE UP POS; THERE APPEARED TO BE NO CHANGE IN GEAR POS (PREVIOUSLY LIT GEAR INDICATION LIGHTS REMAINED LIT). ON FINAL APCH (INDICATING L AND R MAINS DOWN AND LOCKED) THE TWR STILL INDICATED THAT THE LNDG LIGHT WAS VISIBLE. DURING LNDG ROLLOUT THE R GEAR FOLDED. AFTER EXITING THE ACFT AND WITH THE CHIEF A&P ON SITE; IT APPEARED THAT THE L MAIN HAD NOT LOCKED EITHER; BUT IT REMAINED EXTENDED DURING ROLLOUT.

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