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Landing gear failure

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Aircraft Systems

Looking for advice when dealing with an issue of landing gear indicating "down". On a recent XC, I lowered the gear on midfield downwind and did not receive the indication of left main being down. I verified the light was good and also cycled the gear several times to no avail.

I then consulted the POH and was not really provided with any "helpful" info concerning landing with one main gear not being deployed. I did try the manual gear deployment as well as slowing the aircraft down and still failed to receive the indication of left main being down.

I was finally able to receive the proper indications after several more attempts to lower the gear while slowly banking into the affected side. The gear was "visually" verified by a nearby aircraft so I landed without incident although I significantly slowed my landing speed and lowered right wing slightly in the event I suffered a gear collapse.

Bottom line is what would have been the preferred method for landing if 1 of your main gear is not extended? Should you opt for a gear up landing to avoid increased risk of being unstable and dragging a wing once touching down? If the gear appears lowered by tower or ground but fails to provide an indication, should "normal" landing be attempted in the event you have a bad switch or wiring? A lot of food for thought. I was lucky I landed without incident but this definitely gave me some pause for a what I would do in the future. Of note, the aircraft in question had no mirrors to provide visual indication of gear down from the cockpit and I did squawk this occurrence to the A&P for inspection prior to the next flight.

I look forward to the impending answers even if they confirm what I may or may not already know.

Thanks,

Mike

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1 Answers



  1. Jim F. on Feb 23, 2015

    Sounds like you did just how I would do it (and have a few times). Treat it like a slight cross-wind on a soft-field: Land as slowly as practical and keep as much weight off the suspect gear as possible. Minimize braking and make turns wider until you can stop and visually inspect the down-lock.

    I see arguments for both sides of the up/down debate. I personally say that in most light aircraft, the chance of veering off uncontrollably is minimal, provided you expect it and compensate correctly. I can would expect a low-wing on turf would be a pretty likely scenario for a cartwheel due to the wingtip catching, so gear-up may be beneficial…

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