Emergency declared for nose gear up type landing procedure during a night operation.

Attributes
ACN	222680
Time
Date	199210
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : uca
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 2000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : uca tower : phl
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Recip Eng
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing : go around landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 1560 flight time type : 20
ASRS Report	222680
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical conflict : ground critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : unable
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Approximately 20 mi south of uca airport, the left and right light hydraulic flow on the annunciator panel flickered then extinguished. 3 mi out on putting the gear handle down, the light hydraulic flow lights relit as well as the hydraulic pressure light and remained lit. Both left and right main light remained on. I tried yawing the aircraft and putting a g-load on it to try to force the nose gear to extend and lock to no avail. Then I verified the gear handle was down, pulled the gear circuit breakers and attempted to pull the emergency gear extension blow-down bottle using the 'T'-handle. This did not work. The cable did not actuate the valve on the bottle. I then made several low approachs at uca to see if the tower could see the taxi light on the nose gear of the aircraft. They said it appeared to be down. I made a second, lower approach to see if I could see the light shining on the runway, but could not confirm either way. After approximately 30 mins of trying to correct the problem, I decided to attempt a landing. After verifying that emergency vehicles were standing by I set up for a soft field approach to runway 33 at uca. On short final I reduced the throttles to idle, moved the mixture controls to idle cut-off and placed the fuel selector valves and magnets to the off position. I made a soft landing on the main wheels and kept the nose off the ground as long as possible. As the speed bled off, the nose lowered and struck the runway, causing minor damage to the nose of the aircraft as well as to both propellers.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMER DECLARED FOR NOSE GEAR UP TYPE LNDG PROC DURING A NIGHT OP.

Narrative: APPROX 20 MI S OF UCA ARPT, THE L AND R LIGHT HYD FLOW ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL FLICKERED THEN EXTINGUISHED. 3 MI OUT ON PUTTING THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN, THE LIGHT HYD FLOW LIGHTS RELIT AS WELL AS THE HYD PRESSURE LIGHT AND REMAINED LIT. BOTH L AND R MAIN LIGHT REMAINED ON. I TRIED YAWING THE ACFT AND PUTTING A G-LOAD ON IT TO TRY TO FORCE THE NOSE GEAR TO EXTEND AND LOCK TO NO AVAIL. THEN I VERIFIED THE GEAR HANDLE WAS DOWN, PULLED THE GEAR CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE EMER GEAR EXTENSION BLOW-DOWN BOTTLE USING THE 'T'-HANDLE. THIS DID NOT WORK. THE CABLE DID NOT ACTUATE THE VALVE ON THE BOTTLE. I THEN MADE SEVERAL LOW APCHS AT UCA TO SEE IF THE TWR COULD SEE THE TAXI LIGHT ON THE NOSE GEAR OF THE ACFT. THEY SAID IT APPEARED TO BE DOWN. I MADE A SECOND, LOWER APCH TO SEE IF I COULD SEE THE LIGHT SHINING ON THE RWY, BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM EITHER WAY. AFTER APPROX 30 MINS OF TRYING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, I DECIDED TO ATTEMPT A LNDG. AFTER VERIFYING THAT EMER VEHICLES WERE STANDING BY I SET UP FOR A SOFT FIELD APCH TO RWY 33 AT UCA. ON SHORT FINAL I REDUCED THE THROTTLES TO IDLE, MOVED THE MIXTURE CTLS TO IDLE CUT-OFF AND PLACED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVES AND MAGNETS TO THE OFF POS. I MADE A SOFT LNDG ON THE MAIN WHEELS AND KEPT THE NOSE OFF THE GND AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AS THE SPD BLED OFF, THE NOSE LOWERED AND STRUCK THE RWY, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE NOSE OF THE ACFT AS WELL AS TO BOTH PROPS.

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.