Narrative:

After takeoff from my fifth (and last) freight stop of the day, the landing gear on my PA34 piper seneca would not retract. When the gear handle was moved up the gear unsafe warning light would come on, but all 3 gear lights showed the gear down on locked. With VFR WX, lots of fuel and a tailwind at cruise altitude, I decided to continue the 90 mi to my overnight base. Reading the pilot's operating handbook and studying the schematic convinced me that I had a loose electrical connection, circuit breakers were not popped. I would land without reporting malfunction and then in the morning fly 2 short (30 mins) legs to the company home base and have a mechanic fix it. On arrival at my destination, tower asked me to do a short approach because of other traffic. Wind was about 15 KTS right down the runway. I set up to do a full flap landing, aiming to touch down well down the runway, on centerline and as slow as possible, just to be on the safe side. I held it off with power, in ground effect for awhile, and then touched down with no crab. The first few feet of rollout felt normal, but then I felt a drift to the left and reported to tower that I had a dragging brake. With full right rudder and partial right braking I was able to correct the drift left for awhile, but as I slowed down I lost rudder effectiveness. Just as I reached the runway shoulder I heard the left tire blow, and stopped very soon thereafter with the left main on the paved runway shoulder. After shutdown and exiting the aircraft, I discovered that the left gear scissors bolt nut and cotter pin were missing which allowed the wheel to slowly castor around during rollout. It was turned almost 90 degrees when I stopped. The only apparent damage was the blown tire. I have flown this freight run for 7 yrs, but only 1 yr with my present employer. There is a long term, company wide practice with this company to not write up aircraft malfunctions if there is any possibility of flying it to the home base. Earlier that day I had had a somewhat heated discussion with a high level company official about being provided rest facilities at my outstation (6 hour layover mon-thu, 10 hour layover on fri's, which requires a mandatory 8 hour crew rest period). I was told that they needed a pilot that would get the job done without 'nickel and diming' the company to death. With this mindset, I was going to prove that I could 'get the job' done. I should have reported my malfunction to tower, had a visual airborne inspection (2 PA34 rated, company pilots were also just landing). With the problem known I would have had the runway foamed, burned off excess fuel, shut down the left engine, feathered the left engine and cranked the propeller to the horizontal. As luck would have it, my touchdown technique and rollout was perfect for the circumstances. Lesson learned!! Don't let improper (illegal?) pressure from the front office override yrs of training (naval aviator) and experience. Be the 'PIC' at all times.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LNDG GEAR PROB ON ATX ACFT. BLOWS TIRE ON LNDG.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF FROM MY FIFTH (AND LAST) FREIGHT STOP OF THE DAY, THE LNDG GEAR ON MY PA34 PIPER SENECA WOULD NOT RETRACT. WHEN THE GEAR HANDLE WAS MOVED UP THE GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT WOULD COME ON, BUT ALL 3 GEAR LIGHTS SHOWED THE GEAR DOWN ON LOCKED. WITH VFR WX, LOTS OF FUEL AND A TAILWIND AT CRUISE ALT, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE 90 MI TO MY OVERNIGHT BASE. READING THE PLT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK AND STUDYING THE SCHEMATIC CONVINCED ME THAT I HAD A LOOSE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION, CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE NOT POPPED. I WOULD LAND WITHOUT RPTING MALFUNCTION AND THEN IN THE MORNING FLY 2 SHORT (30 MINS) LEGS TO THE COMPANY HOME BASE AND HAVE A MECH FIX IT. ON ARR AT MY DEST, TWR ASKED ME TO DO A SHORT APCH BECAUSE OF OTHER TFC. WIND WAS ABOUT 15 KTS RIGHT DOWN THE RWY. I SET UP TO DO A FULL FLAP LNDG, AIMING TO TOUCH DOWN WELL DOWN THE RWY, ON CTRLINE AND AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE, JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE. I HELD IT OFF WITH PWR, IN GND EFFECT FOR AWHILE, AND THEN TOUCHED DOWN WITH NO CRAB. THE FIRST FEW FEET OF ROLLOUT FELT NORMAL, BUT THEN I FELT A DRIFT TO THE L AND RPTED TO TWR THAT I HAD A DRAGGING BRAKE. WITH FULL R RUDDER AND PARTIAL R BRAKING I WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE DRIFT L FOR AWHILE, BUT AS I SLOWED DOWN I LOST RUDDER EFFECTIVENESS. JUST AS I REACHED THE RWY SHOULDER I HEARD THE L TIRE BLOW, AND STOPPED VERY SOON THEREAFTER WITH THE L MAIN ON THE PAVED RWY SHOULDER. AFTER SHUTDOWN AND EXITING THE ACFT, I DISCOVERED THAT THE L GEAR SCISSORS BOLT NUT AND COTTER PIN WERE MISSING WHICH ALLOWED THE WHEEL TO SLOWLY CASTOR AROUND DURING ROLLOUT. IT WAS TURNED ALMOST 90 DEGS WHEN I STOPPED. THE ONLY APPARENT DAMAGE WAS THE BLOWN TIRE. I HAVE FLOWN THIS FREIGHT RUN FOR 7 YRS, BUT ONLY 1 YR WITH MY PRESENT EMPLOYER. THERE IS A LONG TERM, COMPANY WIDE PRACTICE WITH THIS COMPANY TO NOT WRITE UP ACFT MALFUNCTIONS IF THERE IS ANY POSSIBILITY OF FLYING IT TO THE HOME BASE. EARLIER THAT DAY I HAD HAD A SOMEWHAT HEATED DISCUSSION WITH A HIGH LEVEL COMPANY OFFICIAL ABOUT BEING PROVIDED REST FACILITIES AT MY OUTSTATION (6 HR LAYOVER MON-THU, 10 HR LAYOVER ON FRI'S, WHICH REQUIRES A MANDATORY 8 HR CREW REST PERIOD). I WAS TOLD THAT THEY NEEDED A PLT THAT WOULD GET THE JOB DONE WITHOUT 'NICKEL AND DIMING' THE COMPANY TO DEATH. WITH THIS MINDSET, I WAS GOING TO PROVE THAT I COULD 'GET THE JOB' DONE. I SHOULD HAVE RPTED MY MALFUNCTION TO TWR, HAD A VISUAL AIRBORNE INSPECTION (2 PA34 RATED, COMPANY PLTS WERE ALSO JUST LNDG). WITH THE PROB KNOWN I WOULD HAVE HAD THE RWY FOAMED, BURNED OFF EXCESS FUEL, SHUT DOWN THE L ENG, FEATHERED THE L ENG AND CRANKED THE PROP TO THE HORIZ. AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, MY TOUCHDOWN TECHNIQUE AND ROLLOUT WAS PERFECT FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES. LESSON LEARNED!! DON'T LET IMPROPER (ILLEGAL?) PRESSURE FROM THE FRONT OFFICE OVERRIDE YRS OF TRAINING (NAVAL AVIATOR) AND EXPERIENCE. BE THE 'PIC' AT ALL TIMES.

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.