Narrative:

I was flying PIC on our company light transport. Shortly after our first call to det tower the tower controller cleared us to land runway 33. The ATIS was calling 9 overcast 3 mi. While on descent from 10000' down to 3000' MSL we encountered light to moderate rime ice. All anti-ice heat was on the aircraft during the descent and just prior to intercepting final approach course I also turned on our windshield alcohol deice to help clear a larger opening to see through. At G/south intercept I called for gear down and final checklist. My copilot completed the checklist called the runway in sight. Same time in the next few seconds I noticed an unsafe gear indication on the left main landing gear. I did a recycle of the gear and this gave us a safe landing gear indication. I checked brake pressure on the brakes and got a normal feeling. On the light transport this is a method to determine if the landing gear is locked down. We also asked the tower controller if we had our landing light on. Tower indicated they only saw one, left side off. Landing light on is also an indication that your landing gear is down and safe, however the light not being on may have been burned out. Other than the light out all indications were the gear was down and safe. Just prior to T/D our left landing gear went unsafe. I executed an immediate go around. I began the go around/missed approach. I made my cockpit calls flaps up/ gear up and the landing gear came back to safe just prior to retract. The controller said fly runway heading, 3000' and contact detroit approach. The next events happened in a very short period of time. My copilot may have read back the tower controller request, I don't know, however during retract the gear and aircraft sounds were normal, prior to flying into the clouds I recycled the landing gear and got an immediate normal safe gear. I also noticed I was 900-1000' above the airport and visibility was good. I leveled the aircraft so as not to go into the clouds and started a left turn back toward the airport (left downwind) told my copilot to tell the tower about the gear problem and we had circling minimums or better and we were returning back to the airport. However, the controller flat refused our request, demanded that we fly the missed approach because she had other traffic on the approach and we would be conflicting traffic. We continued on course to return to the airport. Trying to finish checklist and make positive identification that our landing gear was in fact down and safe and what may have caused the problem. The controller by now was very upset and still wanted a missed approach. I picked up the radio microphone, I was downwind at this time, (yes, I was excited with the gear problem, the go around and unable to get our point across to the controller) and told the controller I had circling minimums and was returning to land. I think it is my airspace I'm not flying the aircraft back into the clouds and I was landing runway 33. Now at this point the traffic which was following us on the ILS 33 was inside the final approach fix. I had a visibility on him he also had visibility on me, and sep for me was not a problem. However the controller now told the second aircraft to execute a missed approach, which he did, and cleared me to land also asking if we needed assistance. I truely believed I could deviate from a controller request if for the safety of my aircraft. I also thought that the control zone was my airspace until I gave up the airspace by landing or by leaving the airspace. We had confusion on the flight deck with communication. It was much louder than normal with the power up and the windshield defog on high because of the ice, our crew communication was not what it should have been. I don't believe we got our problem and message over to the tower correctly. It may be we should have declared an emergency and there would be no question as to state of affair. I don't believe the tower controller handled themselves any better! They could see the aircraft made a go around at the last min from an ILS this should be an indication of a problem. The confused communication should have been a good reason to try and help and a controller could have declared an emergency for the aircraft and made the necessary calls to have the other aircraft go around so there would not be any airspace problems.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORP LTT WITH GEAR PROBLEMS ELECTS TO STAY VFR AND CIRCLE TO LAND AFTER INITIATING MAP.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING PIC ON OUR COMPANY LTT. SHORTLY AFTER OUR FIRST CALL TO DET TWR THE TWR CTLR CLRED US TO LAND RWY 33. THE ATIS WAS CALLING 9 OVCST 3 MI. WHILE ON DSNT FROM 10000' DOWN TO 3000' MSL WE ENCOUNTERED LIGHT TO MODERATE RIME ICE. ALL ANTI-ICE HEAT WAS ON THE ACFT DURING THE DSNT AND JUST PRIOR TO INTERCEPTING FINAL APCH COURSE I ALSO TURNED ON OUR WINDSHIELD ALCOHOL DEICE TO HELP CLR A LARGER OPENING TO SEE THROUGH. AT G/S INTERCEPT I CALLED FOR GEAR DOWN AND FINAL CHKLIST. MY COPLT COMPLETED THE CHKLIST CALLED THE RWY IN SIGHT. SAME TIME IN THE NEXT FEW SECS I NOTICED AN UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION ON THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR. I DID A RECYCLE OF THE GEAR AND THIS GAVE US A SAFE LNDG GEAR INDICATION. I CHKED BRAKE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES AND GOT A NORMAL FEELING. ON THE LTT THIS IS A METHOD TO DETERMINE IF THE LNDG GEAR IS LOCKED DOWN. WE ALSO ASKED THE TWR CTLR IF WE HAD OUR LNDG LIGHT ON. TWR INDICATED THEY ONLY SAW ONE, L SIDE OFF. LNDG LIGHT ON IS ALSO AN INDICATION THAT YOUR LNDG GEAR IS DOWN AND SAFE, HOWEVER THE LIGHT NOT BEING ON MAY HAVE BEEN BURNED OUT. OTHER THAN THE LIGHT OUT ALL INDICATIONS WERE THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND SAFE. JUST PRIOR TO T/D OUR L LNDG GEAR WENT UNSAFE. I EXECUTED AN IMMEDIATE GO AROUND. I BEGAN THE GO AROUND/MISSED APCH. I MADE MY COCKPIT CALLS FLAPS UP/ GEAR UP AND THE LNDG GEAR CAME BACK TO SAFE JUST PRIOR TO RETRACT. THE CTLR SAID FLY RWY HDG, 3000' AND CONTACT DETROIT APCH. THE NEXT EVENTS HAPPENED IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MY COPLT MAY HAVE READ BACK THE TWR CTLR REQUEST, I DON'T KNOW, HOWEVER DURING RETRACT THE GEAR AND ACFT SOUNDS WERE NORMAL, PRIOR TO FLYING INTO THE CLOUDS I RECYCLED THE LNDG GEAR AND GOT AN IMMEDIATE NORMAL SAFE GEAR. I ALSO NOTICED I WAS 900-1000' ABOVE THE ARPT AND VISIBILITY WAS GOOD. I LEVELED THE ACFT SO AS NOT TO GO INTO THE CLOUDS AND STARTED A L TURN BACK TOWARD THE ARPT (L DOWNWIND) TOLD MY COPLT TO TELL THE TWR ABOUT THE GEAR PROB AND WE HAD CIRCLING MINIMUMS OR BETTER AND WE WERE RETURNING BACK TO THE ARPT. HOWEVER, THE CTLR FLAT REFUSED OUR REQUEST, DEMANDED THAT WE FLY THE MISSED APCH BECAUSE SHE HAD OTHER TFC ON THE APCH AND WE WOULD BE CONFLICTING TFC. WE CONTINUED ON COURSE TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. TRYING TO FINISH CHKLIST AND MAKE POSITIVE ID THAT OUR LNDG GEAR WAS IN FACT DOWN AND SAFE AND WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE PROB. THE CTLR BY NOW WAS VERY UPSET AND STILL WANTED A MISSED APCH. I PICKED UP THE RADIO MIC, I WAS DOWNWIND AT THIS TIME, (YES, I WAS EXCITED WITH THE GEAR PROB, THE GO AROUND AND UNABLE TO GET OUR POINT ACROSS TO THE CTLR) AND TOLD THE CTLR I HAD CIRCLING MINIMUMS AND WAS RETURNING TO LAND. I THINK IT IS MY AIRSPACE I'M NOT FLYING THE ACFT BACK INTO THE CLOUDS AND I WAS LNDG RWY 33. NOW AT THIS POINT THE TFC WHICH WAS FOLLOWING US ON THE ILS 33 WAS INSIDE THE FINAL APCH FIX. I HAD A VIS ON HIM HE ALSO HAD VIS ON ME, AND SEP FOR ME WAS NOT A PROB. HOWEVER THE CTLR NOW TOLD THE SEC ACFT TO EXECUTE A MISSED APCH, WHICH HE DID, AND CLRED ME TO LAND ALSO ASKING IF WE NEEDED ASSISTANCE. I TRUELY BELIEVED I COULD DEVIATE FROM A CTLR REQUEST IF FOR THE SAFETY OF MY ACFT. I ALSO THOUGHT THAT THE CTL ZONE WAS MY AIRSPACE UNTIL I GAVE UP THE AIRSPACE BY LNDG OR BY LEAVING THE AIRSPACE. WE HAD CONFUSION ON THE FLT DECK WITH COM. IT WAS MUCH LOUDER THAN NORMAL WITH THE PWR UP AND THE WINDSHIELD DEFOG ON HIGH BECAUSE OF THE ICE, OUR CREW COM WAS NOT WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I DON'T BELIEVE WE GOT OUR PROB AND MESSAGE OVER TO THE TWR CORRECTLY. IT MAY BE WE SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER AND THERE WOULD BE NO QUESTION AS TO STATE OF AFFAIR. I DON'T BELIEVE THE TWR CTLR HANDLED THEMSELVES ANY BETTER! THEY COULD SEE THE ACFT MADE A GO AROUND AT THE LAST MIN FROM AN ILS THIS SHOULD BE AN INDICATION OF A PROB. THE CONFUSED COM SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD REASON TO TRY AND HELP AND A CTLR COULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER FOR THE ACFT AND MADE THE NECESSARY CALLS TO HAVE THE OTHER ACFT GO AROUND SO THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY AIRSPACE PROBS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.