Narrative:

After preflight and traffic pattern test flight while ferrying aircraft from M36 to 4 mi for induction system problems radios failed south of harrison, ak. Prior to radio failure I notified pilot of chase plane that radios were intermittent and possibly going to fail. Advised him if communication was lost to call 4 mi on 122.90 and advise local traffic of arrival without radios. Several min later communication was lost and computer was indicating a discharge. I entered the pattern at 4MI and began the prelndg checklist when I turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, I did not get an indicator light and subsequent failure of the landing gear to deploy by use of the electrical landing gear switch. All engine instruments were correct but fuel quantity gauge indicated empty and ammeter indicated zero. I removed the pilots operating manual from the rear of the seat and turned to the section marked gear malfunction. I then followed the indicated procedure up to the point where the book stated that the auxiliary gear crank should be turned approximately 50 turns. At this time the crank would only turn 20 turns and then would not turn any further. I retracted the gear by turning the lever clockwise, then again attempted to deploy the landing gear but was only able to turn the lever 20 turns again. Throughout the flight the engine would run very rough at low power settings and during my attempts to deploy the gear with the auxiliary crank the engine would run very rough until I increased power to 23 inches and 2400 RPM. After circling 4MI for approximately 20 min I determined that the possibility of engine failure existed so I maneuvered to a 1 mi final opened the cabin door and shut off all electrical switches. Over the threshold I shut off the fuel selector valve and landed the aircraft with landing gear partially deployed. Initially the cause of this incident was the failure of the generator belt which broke in-flight. Subsequently the failure of the auxiliary landing gear lever to deploy the landing gear was possibly caused by failure of the technicians to properly check the auxiliary gear deployment during annual. It is possible that the nose gear had been hung up but unlikely since the gear operated properly during test flight and at landing at M07. It is my belief that this aircraft had inadequate maintenance during the prior annual and this was undetectable during preflight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said the airplane he was having difficulty with in this report was a K-35 bonanza. The chase plane was a cessna 172. He did not know what they found wrong with the gear. The owner of the plane told the reporter it always did crank hard. The reporter is a good sized man and he said he gave it his best. The engine valve stuck to a valve guide resulting in the engine roughness and the crank case was being pressurized and pumping the oil overboard out the breather. They found there was only 3 of the 12 quarts left in the engine. The radio failure was the result of the failed generator not charging the dying battery. He had looked at the generator belt on the preflight and it did not look new but it was not frayed or cracked. There was no fire equipment at the field and he did not have a radio to go to a tower controled airport and even if he did he also had a sick engine to worry him. He would not do anything differently except check out the alternate gear extension in flight while the electrical system and gear were working so he would know that the alternate system had problems. Before accepting an airplane in the future he will check all the alternate backup system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT COULD NOT GET THE GEAR DOWN FOR LNDG.

Narrative: AFTER PREFLT AND TFC PATTERN TEST FLT WHILE FERRYING ACFT FROM M36 TO 4 MI FOR INDUCTION SYS PROBS RADIOS FAILED S OF HARRISON, AK. PRIOR TO RADIO FAILURE I NOTIFIED PLT OF CHASE PLANE THAT RADIOS WERE INTERMITTENT AND POSSIBLY GOING TO FAIL. ADVISED HIM IF COM WAS LOST TO CALL 4 MI ON 122.90 AND ADVISE LCL TFC OF ARR WITHOUT RADIOS. SEVERAL MIN LATER COM WAS LOST AND COMPUTER WAS INDICATING A DISCHARGE. I ENTERED THE PATTERN AT 4MI AND BEGAN THE PRELNDG CHKLIST WHEN I TURNED ON THE AUX FUEL PUMP, I DID NOT GET AN INDICATOR LIGHT AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE LNDG GEAR TO DEPLOY BY USE OF THE ELECTRICAL LNDG GEAR SWITCH. ALL ENG INSTS WERE CORRECT BUT FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE INDICATED EMPTY AND AMMETER INDICATED ZERO. I REMOVED THE PLTS OPERATING MANUAL FROM THE REAR OF THE SEAT AND TURNED TO THE SECTION MARKED GEAR MALFUNCTION. I THEN FOLLOWED THE INDICATED PROC UP TO THE POINT WHERE THE BOOK STATED THAT THE AUX GEAR CRANK SHOULD BE TURNED APPROX 50 TURNS. AT THIS TIME THE CRANK WOULD ONLY TURN 20 TURNS AND THEN WOULD NOT TURN ANY FURTHER. I RETRACTED THE GEAR BY TURNING THE LEVER CLOCKWISE, THEN AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY THE LNDG GEAR BUT WAS ONLY ABLE TO TURN THE LEVER 20 TURNS AGAIN. THROUGHOUT THE FLT THE ENG WOULD RUN VERY ROUGH AT LOW PWR SETTINGS AND DURING MY ATTEMPTS TO DEPLOY THE GEAR WITH THE AUX CRANK THE ENG WOULD RUN VERY ROUGH UNTIL I INCREASED PWR TO 23 INCHES AND 2400 RPM. AFTER CIRCLING 4MI FOR APPROX 20 MIN I DETERMINED THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF ENG FAILURE EXISTED SO I MANEUVERED TO A 1 MI FINAL OPENED THE CABIN DOOR AND SHUT OFF ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES. OVER THE THRESHOLD I SHUT OFF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE AND LANDED THE ACFT WITH LNDG GEAR PARTIALLY DEPLOYED. INITIALLY THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE GENERATOR BELT WHICH BROKE INFLT. SUBSEQUENTLY THE FAILURE OF THE AUX LNDG GEAR LEVER TO DEPLOY THE LNDG GEAR WAS POSSIBLY CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE TECHNICIANS TO PROPERLY CHK THE AUX GEAR DEPLOYMENT DURING ANNUAL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE NOSE GEAR HAD BEEN HUNG UP BUT UNLIKELY SINCE THE GEAR OPERATED PROPERLY DURING TEST FLT AND AT LNDG AT M07. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS ACFT HAD INADEQUATE MAINT DURING THE PRIOR ANNUAL AND THIS WAS UNDETECTABLE DURING PREFLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH IN THIS RPT WAS A K-35 BONANZA. THE CHASE PLANE WAS A CESSNA 172. HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY FOUND WRONG WITH THE GEAR. THE OWNER OF THE PLANE TOLD THE RPTR IT ALWAYS DID CRANK HARD. THE RPTR IS A GOOD SIZED MAN AND HE SAID HE GAVE IT HIS BEST. THE ENG VALVE STUCK TO A VALVE GUIDE RESULTING IN THE ENG ROUGHNESS AND THE CRANK CASE WAS BEING PRESSURIZED AND PUMPING THE OIL OVERBOARD OUT THE BREATHER. THEY FOUND THERE WAS ONLY 3 OF THE 12 QUARTS LEFT IN THE ENG. THE RADIO FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF THE FAILED GENERATOR NOT CHARGING THE DYING BATTERY. HE HAD LOOKED AT THE GENERATOR BELT ON THE PREFLT AND IT DID NOT LOOK NEW BUT IT WAS NOT FRAYED OR CRACKED. THERE WAS NO FIRE EQUIP AT THE FIELD AND HE DID NOT HAVE A RADIO TO GO TO A TWR CTLED ARPT AND EVEN IF HE DID HE ALSO HAD A SICK ENG TO WORRY HIM. HE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY EXCEPT CHK OUT THE ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION IN FLT WHILE THE ELECTRICAL SYS AND GEAR WERE WORKING SO HE WOULD KNOW THAT THE ALTERNATE SYS HAD PROBS. BEFORE ACCEPTING AN AIRPLANE IN THE FUTURE HE WILL CHK ALL THE ALTERNATE BACKUP SYS.

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.