PA34 PLT LANDS GEAR UP AFTER GETTING GREEN LIGHT GEAR DOWN INDICATOR.

Date: 2002-04 · Aircraft: Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng · Phase: landing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-maintenance|ground-event-encounter-gear-up-landing

Synopsis

PA34 PLT LANDS GEAR UP AFTER GETTING GREEN LIGHT GEAR DOWN INDICATOR.

Narrative

I WAS ON DOWNWIND FOR RWY 35R AT PIE. I WAS #3 TO LAND. DURING THE DOWNWIND I WAS USING THE MANUFACTURER'S DSCNT AND LNDG CHKLIST. MY DOWNWIND WAS EXTENDED ABOUT 1 MI WHEN I WAS TOLD BY THE TWR TO BEGIN MY L-HAND TURN TO THE BASE LEG. AT THAT TIME I PUT THE GEAR SWITCH TO THE DOWN POS AND I HELD MY HAND ON THE SWITCH UNTIL I OBSERVED 3 GREEN LIGHTS AND NO RED LIGHT (RED LIGHT IS GEAR UNSAFE INDICATION). WITHIN ABOUT 20 SECONDS; I DID THE GUMPS AND OBSERVED THE GREEN LIGHTS. I CONTINUED ON THE APCH AND WAS CLRED TO LAND. JUST AS I TOUCHED DOWN; THERE WAS A NOISE AND A JOLT AND I SAW THE PROPS BEND BACK ON THE R ENG. THE ACFT THEN SLID TO A STOP ON THE RWY CTRLINE. AT THAT TIME I SHUT ALL ACFT SYS OFF TO PREVENT A FIRE. BEFORE EXITING THE ACFT; I CALLED THE TWR TO INFORM THEM THAT PLANE LANDED WITH THE GEAR UP. JUST BEFORE FLYING THIS ACFT IT HAD AN ANNUAL INSPECTION; SOME EXTENSIVE WIRING FOR NEW AVIONICS THAT WERE INSTALLED; AND REPAIRS TO THE LNDG GEAR WARNING SYS; WHICH DID NOT WARN ME OF THE GEAR NOT BEING DOWN. EVIDENTLY SOMEWHERE BTWN BASE LEG AND TOUCHDOWN THE GEAR HAD AN UNCOMMANDED RETRACTION. ANOTHER FACTOR WAS THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING FROM THE CTL TWR THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN. AFTER THE ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RWY; I INSPECTED THE ACFT AND IT APPEARED NOT TO HAVE SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE TYPE OF ACFT WAS A PA34 SARATOGA. RPTR HAD TESTED THE GEAR WARNING SYS PRIOR TO ENTERING THE PATTERN AND IT HAD WORKED PROPERLY. RPTR ALSO STATED THAT WHEN HE PUT THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN IN THE PATTERN; HE DID NOT NOTICE AN 'IN TRANSIT' LIGHT. HE DID NOT NOTICE ANY AUDIBLE INDICATION OF THE GEAR EXTENDING OR RETRACTING; BUT THAT THIS WOULD NORMALLY BE THE CASE. RPTR STATES THAT MAINT PERSONNEL WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROB ON THE GND.

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