FLT CREW OF BE40 DIVERT TO ANOTHER ARPT WHEN LNDG GEAR SAFE LIGHT FAILS TO ILLUMINATE AT ASE.
Synopsis
FLT CREW OF BE40 DIVERT TO ANOTHER ARPT WHEN LNDG GEAR SAFE LIGHT FAILS TO ILLUMINATE AT ASE.
Narrative
ON OUR WAY TO ASE; WE HAD 2 SETS OF DELAYING VECTORS. AFTER FINALLY BEING CLRED FOR THE ROARING FORK VISUAL (APCH TO ASE) I CALLED 'FLAPS 20 DEGS' AND A MOMENT LATER; 'GEAR DOWN.' THE L-HAND GREEN GEAR LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AFTER THE GEAR LEVER WAS MOVED DOWNWARD. I RECYCLED THE GEAR AND AGAIN NOTICED NO CONFIRMING LIGHT ON THE L-HAND GEAR. I WAS DSNDING THROUGH 11000 FT HAVING JUST PASSED DBL VOR. EVEN WITH ASE IN SIGHT; I ELECTED TO DISCONTINUE THE APCH INTO THE ASE VALLEY; CLB AND RESOLVE THE MATTER. EVEN THOUGH WE WERE NOT ON THE VOR OR LOC APCH; I CLBED TO THE R TO INTERCEPT THE PKN LOC. MY FO INFORMED ASE TWR OF OUR DECISION. BACK WITH ZDV; WE CLBED TO 16000 FT AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE WANTED TO DIVERT TO EGE AND THAT MOMENTARILY; FUEL WAS GOING TO BECOME AN ISSUE. ALTHOUGH I NEVER DECLARED AN EMER; ATC REPEATEDLY TOLD OTHER TFC THAT WE WERE IN AN EMER CONDITION. I EXCHANGED THE R-HAND GEAR BULB FOR THE L-HAND GEAR BULB AND TOOK ONE ADDITIONAL STEP OF LOWERING THE GEAR TO CONFIRM THAT NOW THE L-HAND BULB ILLUMINATED; BUT NOT THE R-HAND. I INFORMED ATC AND OUR PAX OF THE SITUATION; TELLING THEM I WAS MERELY 'PLAYING IT SAFE' ON ALL ACCOUNTS. ATC PUT US ON A VECTOR AWAY FROM EGE AND JUST A MOMENT LATER I DECLARED 'MINIMUM FUEL.' I WAS AT 1100 LBS OF FUEL; BUT FELT THAT ANY ADDITIONAL DELAYS WOULD NOT LEAVE MY ANY OTHER OPTIONS. A MOMENT LATER; ZDV GAVE US A CLRNC HEADING TOWARDS THE LOC APCH TO EGE. ON SHORT FINAL; MY FO QUESTIONED THE TWR WHO CONFIRMED THAT ALL 3 OF OUR GEAR 'APPEARED DOWN.' LNDG AND TAXI WERE UNEVENTFUL. ON TAXI IN; I OVERHEARD EGE GND CTL TALKING WITH A FIRE TRUCK AND I DID SEE ONE CROSS THE RWY. HE TOLD THE FIRE TRUCK; '...AND THAT BEECHJET DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER.' AS MENTIONED EARLIER; I HAD HEARD OTHER ATC FREQS MENTION WE WERE AN 'EMER ACFT.' I ONLY CORRECTED THEM ONCE; AS HAD OTHER CHORES.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.