A DORNIER 328 ON APCH AT 1500 FT AGL DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO NO NOSE GEAR POS INDICATION CAUSED BY TWO BURNED OUT BULBS.

Narrative

WE SELECTED THE GEAR DOWN FOR LNDG; THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT ILLUMINATE. WE TESTED THE LIGHT AND IT WAS BURNED OUT. WE HAVE A GEAR WARNING HORN AND IT DID NOT SOUND. IT APPEARED THAT IT WAS JUST A BURNED OUT BULB; THIS SYS HAS TWO BULBS AND THEY WERE BOTH BURNED OUT. THE PROB IS THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO FULLY DETERMINE IF THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. SO WE FOLLOWED ALL ASSOCIATED CHKLST AND PREPARED FOR AN EMER LNDGS. UPON LNDG THE GEAR WAS STABLE AND IT IS WAS JUST TWO BURNED OUT LIGHT BULBS. THIS SYS IS NOT GOOD BECAUSE THERE IS NO BACKUP WAY TO DETERMINE IF GEAR IS DOWN AND LOCKED. THERE IS A SYS HYD PAGE ON OUR MFD (EFIS SCREEN); WHY IS NOT THERE GEAR INDICATIONS HERE? THEY NEED A BACK UP SYS TO DETERMINE IF GEAR IS DOWN AND LOCKED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED WHEN THE LNDG GEAR WAS EXTENDED THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AND WHEN TESTED DID NOT LIGHT. THE RPTR SAID THIS ACFT HAS NO SECONDARY VISUAL LNDG GEAR POS INDICATING SYS. THE RPTR SUGGESTED THE GEAR POS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ON THE MULTI FUNCTIONAL DISPLAY UNIT. THE RPTR STATED THE BULBS WERE BURNED OUT.