Narrative:

The aircraft, an small aircraft a, was purchased in blytheville, ar. As part of the purchase agreement, the aircraft was given an annual inspection and a static system check to IFR standards. The purpose of the flight was to bring the aircraft to the charleston, wv, area. The aircraft was picked up at blytheville. Since his previous experience in small aircraft a was a number of yrs ago, the pilot elected to have a chkout in the airplane by a local instructor. This included a cockpit chkout, slow flight, 360 degree turns and 5 takeoffs and lndgs. Total time was greater, but the instructor charged for only 1 hour. After refueling and check with FSS on WX and related information, the flight was started to charleston with fuel stop at bowling green, ky. Refueling and FSS check were done at bowling green. On the second leg of the trip it became apparent that while the landing at charleston (yeager) could be made in daylight, any unexpected delay might result in an after dark landing. Because of lack of recent night flying experience and lack of extensive recent experience in the small aircraft a, the pilot decided to deviation and land at huntington, tri-state airport. The landing was uneventful. The aircraft was fueled again at tri-state. Takeoff from huntington was made at approximately xx am with destination mason county, wv, for additional landing practice. The amber 'gear up' light went out but the green 'gear down' light did not come on. There was an apparent slowing of the aircraft as expected. On touching the 'gear down' light, the green light came on momentarily. The pilot reasoned that the 'gear down' light or one of the gear switches had momentarily failed and that the gear was in fact down. No attempt was made to lower the gear by the emergency procedure. The pilot added full flaps and proceeded to land. The landing was made gear up on the belly of the aircraft. A ground check of the gear switch disclosed it to be in the 'down' position. After the gear up landing, the airport was closed and the FAA so notified. When the aircraft was hoisted the pilot and the airport manager, in turn attempted to lower the gear using the emergency procedure but both were unsuccessful. The aircraft was moved off the runway and placed on jacks in a secure place. The pilot made another attempt to lower the wheels but was again unsuccessful. (A local pilot with extensive experience later lowered the wheels using unconventional methods including kicking the release mechanism.) subsequently the airport manager reported finding a part from the aircraft on the runway several hundreds of ft ahead of where the small aircraft had come to rest. The part was idented as: bracket assembly, nose wheel alignment guide, part number for an small aircraft a airplane. The part was bent. This part normally guides the nose wheel into a straight fore and aft position as it is retracted into the wheel well. Without this part the nose wheel is allowed to retract in a random alignment. Apparently the alignment guide somehow became detached from its normal position and dropped to the runway on retraction of the gear on a previous landing. This allowed the nose wheel to retract in a position that caused it to jam in the nose wheel well. How the alignment guide, normally held in position by 3 bolts, became loose is unknown at present. All previous lndgs made at bowling green, huntington and mason county were smooth with the main gear wheels contacting the runway first followed by gentle lowering of the nose wheel. No structural damage would be expected from any of these lndgs. With the difficulty encountered in lowering the gear with the aircraft on jacks on the ground, it is reasonable to assume that no amount of effort by the pilot in the air while flying the aircraft would have been effective in lowering the gear.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NEWLY PURCHASED ACFT BEING FERRIED HAS GEAR MALFUNCTION. GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: THE ACFT, AN SMA A, WAS PURCHASED IN BLYTHEVILLE, AR. AS PART OF THE PURCHASE AGREEMENT, THE ACFT WAS GIVEN AN ANNUAL INSPECTION AND A STATIC SYS CHK TO IFR STANDARDS. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO BRING THE ACFT TO THE CHARLESTON, WV, AREA. THE ACFT WAS PICKED UP AT BLYTHEVILLE. SINCE HIS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN SMA A WAS A NUMBER OF YRS AGO, THE PLT ELECTED TO HAVE A CHKOUT IN THE AIRPLANE BY A LCL INSTRUCTOR. THIS INCLUDED A COCKPIT CHKOUT, SLOW FLT, 360 DEG TURNS AND 5 TKOFS AND LNDGS. TOTAL TIME WAS GREATER, BUT THE INSTRUCTOR CHARGED FOR ONLY 1 HR. AFTER REFUELING AND CHK WITH FSS ON WX AND RELATED INFO, THE FLT WAS STARTED TO CHARLESTON WITH FUEL STOP AT BOWLING GREEN, KY. REFUELING AND FSS CHK WERE DONE AT BOWLING GREEN. ON THE SECOND LEG OF THE TRIP IT BECAME APPARENT THAT WHILE THE LNDG AT CHARLESTON (YEAGER) COULD BE MADE IN DAYLIGHT, ANY UNEXPECTED DELAY MIGHT RESULT IN AN AFTER DARK LNDG. BECAUSE OF LACK OF RECENT NIGHT FLYING EXPERIENCE AND LACK OF EXTENSIVE RECENT EXPERIENCE IN THE SMA A, THE PLT DECIDED TO DEV AND LAND AT HUNTINGTON, TRI-STATE ARPT. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE ACFT WAS FUELED AGAIN AT TRI-STATE. TKOF FROM HUNTINGTON WAS MADE AT APPROX XX AM WITH DEST MASON COUNTY, WV, FOR ADDITIONAL LNDG PRACTICE. THE AMBER 'GEAR UP' LIGHT WENT OUT BUT THE GREEN 'GEAR DOWN' LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. THERE WAS AN APPARENT SLOWING OF THE ACFT AS EXPECTED. ON TOUCHING THE 'GEAR DOWN' LIGHT, THE GREEN LIGHT CAME ON MOMENTARILY. THE PLT REASONED THAT THE 'GEAR DOWN' LIGHT OR ONE OF THE GEAR SWITCHES HAD MOMENTARILY FAILED AND THAT THE GEAR WAS IN FACT DOWN. NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO LOWER THE GEAR BY THE EMER PROC. THE PLT ADDED FULL FLAPS AND PROCEEDED TO LAND. THE LNDG WAS MADE GEAR UP ON THE BELLY OF THE ACFT. A GND CHK OF THE GEAR SWITCH DISCLOSED IT TO BE IN THE 'DOWN' POS. AFTER THE GEAR UP LNDG, THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND THE FAA SO NOTIFIED. WHEN THE ACFT WAS HOISTED THE PLT AND THE ARPT MGR, IN TURN ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE GEAR USING THE EMER PROC BUT BOTH WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE ACFT WAS MOVED OFF THE RWY AND PLACED ON JACKS IN A SECURE PLACE. THE PLT MADE ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO LOWER THE WHEELS BUT WAS AGAIN UNSUCCESSFUL. (A LCL PLT WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE LATER LOWERED THE WHEELS USING UNCONVENTIONAL METHODS INCLUDING KICKING THE RELEASE MECHANISM.) SUBSEQUENTLY THE ARPT MGR RPTED FINDING A PART FROM THE ACFT ON THE RWY SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF FT AHEAD OF WHERE THE SMA HAD COME TO REST. THE PART WAS IDENTED AS: BRACKET ASSEMBLY, NOSE WHEEL ALIGNMENT GUIDE, PART NUMBER FOR AN SMA A AIRPLANE. THE PART WAS BENT. THIS PART NORMALLY GUIDES THE NOSE WHEEL INTO A STRAIGHT FORE AND AFT POS AS IT IS RETRACTED INTO THE WHEEL WELL. WITHOUT THIS PART THE NOSE WHEEL IS ALLOWED TO RETRACT IN A RANDOM ALIGNMENT. APPARENTLY THE ALIGNMENT GUIDE SOMEHOW BECAME DETACHED FROM ITS NORMAL POS AND DROPPED TO THE RWY ON RETRACTION OF THE GEAR ON A PREVIOUS LNDG. THIS ALLOWED THE NOSE WHEEL TO RETRACT IN A POS THAT CAUSED IT TO JAM IN THE NOSE WHEEL WELL. HOW THE ALIGNMENT GUIDE, NORMALLY HELD IN POS BY 3 BOLTS, BECAME LOOSE IS UNKNOWN AT PRESENT. ALL PREVIOUS LNDGS MADE AT BOWLING GREEN, HUNTINGTON AND MASON COUNTY WERE SMOOTH WITH THE MAIN GEAR WHEELS CONTACTING THE RWY FIRST FOLLOWED BY GENTLE LOWERING OF THE NOSE WHEEL. NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WOULD BE EXPECTED FROM ANY OF THESE LNDGS. WITH THE DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTERED IN LOWERING THE GEAR WITH THE ACFT ON JACKS ON THE GND, IT IS REASONABLE TO ASSUME THAT NO AMOUNT OF EFFORT BY THE PLT IN THE AIR WHILE FLYING THE ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN LOWERING THE GEAR.

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.