Narrative:

This happened on a training flight in a high winged amphibious airplane during a land operation during a training operation in which the owner of the airplane had a problem with his aeronautical-medical and I was building flight hours to go to school on the airplane. The school required me (and all other students) to have 10 hours in type before attending his school. The airplane owner and my employer and I conducted several conversations with the FAA and the insurance company to make sure it was legal and insurable. The owner has many hours of seaplane operations and many hours in this particular airplane of his. We had flown the airplane once before with me in the left seat as a student presumably, for a total of 2.5 hours. This time was to be training for me, but after starting the engine we could tell by the sound that the starter had not disengaged and was dragging. So we killed the engine and oiled the starter driving shaft. Then we couldn't start the airplane. After jumping it off and getting it started the owner chose to fly from the left seat while he did one takeoff and landing. On medium length final I told him 'we don't have a green' landing gear indicator light. He said that it is just an electrical problem, that sometimes it flickers and that he had just checked it since he had selected down and it was green. I said go around and let's check the bulb. He said it's down! We checked the main gear which we could clearly see and appeared to be down, and we checked the nose gear in the mirror and it appeared to be down too. I said let's go around. He said it's down and landed against my wishes. He touched down on the mains and before the nose came down the left main gear knuckled, whereupon I instinctively yanked the wheel aft and the plane flew again. I said 'add power and go around' about 2 or 3 times before he did (his hand was on the throttle). We went around and told the tower we were going around. The tower said that a B737 witnessed the left gear knuckling. The tower called the crash crew and had us extend downwind to give the crash crew to get into position. We got a green landing light indicator and landed with no problems. The crash crew followed us to the hangar and the owner talked to them and the crash crew witnessed that there was no structural damage (and no engine or propeller damage since it is overhead and behind). The airplane has a special reinforcing plate under the belly to allow air to flow from the front of the belly to the aft end of the belly through channels or tubes to help the airplane 'get off the step' and break water sooner. Only a scrape there and bent the left wing float which is removable and replaceable as a unit. No other damage and no injury. To correct this problem in the future I will have an understanding with all crew members or anybody in the pilot seats that if there is any doubt about the status of the gear we will go around until everybody agrees that all has been checked and done that can be before landing. Furthermore be more sure of the condition of the gear by checking records and asking questions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. GEAR UNSAFE INDICATION. ACFT OWNER, PF, DECIDED TO LAND REGARDLESS OF UNSAFE GEAR INDICATOR, THINKING IT WAS A TRANSIENT ELECTRICAL PROB. RPTR ADVOCATED A GAR UNTIL THEY COULD GET A PROPER GEAR INDICATION. OWNER PLT LANDED ANYWAY AND AS GEAR STARTED BUCKLING, RPTR TOOK CTL AND THEY EXECUTED A GAR. THEN, GOT THE GEAR SAFE INDICATION AND LANDED, BUT ONLY AFTER SOME DAMAGE.

Narrative: THIS HAPPENED ON A TRAINING FLT IN A HIGH WINGED AMPHIBIOUS AIRPLANE DURING A LAND OP DURING A TRAINING OP IN WHICH THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE HAD A PROB WITH HIS AERO-MEDICAL AND I WAS BUILDING FLT HRS TO GO TO SCHOOL ON THE AIRPLANE. THE SCHOOL REQUIRED ME (AND ALL OTHER STUDENTS) TO HAVE 10 HRS IN TYPE BEFORE ATTENDING HIS SCHOOL. THE AIRPLANE OWNER AND MY EMPLOYER AND I CONDUCTED SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FAA AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO MAKE SURE IT WAS LEGAL AND INSURABLE. THE OWNER HAS MANY HRS OF SEAPLANE OPS AND MANY HRS IN THIS PARTICULAR AIRPLANE OF HIS. WE HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE ONCE BEFORE WITH ME IN THE L SEAT AS A STUDENT PRESUMABLY, FOR A TOTAL OF 2.5 HRS. THIS TIME WAS TO BE TRAINING FOR ME, BUT AFTER STARTING THE ENG WE COULD TELL BY THE SOUND THAT THE STARTER HAD NOT DISENGAGED AND WAS DRAGGING. SO WE KILLED THE ENG AND OILED THE STARTER DRIVING SHAFT. THEN WE COULDN'T START THE AIRPLANE. AFTER JUMPING IT OFF AND GETTING IT STARTED THE OWNER CHOSE TO FLY FROM THE L SEAT WHILE HE DID ONE TKOF AND LNDG. ON MEDIUM LENGTH FINAL I TOLD HIM 'WE DON'T HAVE A GREEN' LNDG GEAR INDICATOR LIGHT. HE SAID THAT IT IS JUST AN ELECTRICAL PROB, THAT SOMETIMES IT FLICKERS AND THAT HE HAD JUST CHKED IT SINCE HE HAD SELECTED DOWN AND IT WAS GREEN. I SAID GAR AND LET'S CHK THE BULB. HE SAID IT'S DOWN! WE CHKED THE MAIN GEAR WHICH WE COULD CLRLY SEE AND APPEARED TO BE DOWN, AND WE CHKED THE NOSE GEAR IN THE MIRROR AND IT APPEARED TO BE DOWN TOO. I SAID LET'S GO AROUND. HE SAID IT'S DOWN AND LANDED AGAINST MY WISHES. HE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAINS AND BEFORE THE NOSE CAME DOWN THE L MAIN GEAR KNUCKLED, WHEREUPON I INSTINCTIVELY YANKED THE WHEEL AFT AND THE PLANE FLEW AGAIN. I SAID 'ADD PWR AND GAR' ABOUT 2 OR 3 TIMES BEFORE HE DID (HIS HAND WAS ON THE THROTTLE). WE WENT AROUND AND TOLD THE TWR WE WERE GOING AROUND. THE TWR SAID THAT A B737 WITNESSED THE L GEAR KNUCKLING. THE TWR CALLED THE CRASH CREW AND HAD US EXTEND DOWNWIND TO GIVE THE CRASH CREW TO GET INTO POS. WE GOT A GREEN LNDG LIGHT INDICATOR AND LANDED WITH NO PROBS. THE CRASH CREW FOLLOWED US TO THE HANGAR AND THE OWNER TALKED TO THEM AND THE CRASH CREW WITNESSED THAT THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE (AND NO ENG OR PROP DAMAGE SINCE IT IS OVERHEAD AND BEHIND). THE AIRPLANE HAS A SPECIAL REINFORCING PLATE UNDER THE BELLY TO ALLOW AIR TO FLOW FROM THE FRONT OF THE BELLY TO THE AFT END OF THE BELLY THROUGH CHANNELS OR TUBES TO HELP THE AIRPLANE 'GET OFF THE STEP' AND BREAK WATER SOONER. ONLY A SCRAPE THERE AND BENT THE L WING FLOAT WHICH IS REMOVABLE AND REPLACEABLE AS A UNIT. NO OTHER DAMAGE AND NO INJURY. TO CORRECT THIS PROB IN THE FUTURE I WILL HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING WITH ALL CREW MEMBERS OR ANYBODY IN THE PLT SEATS THAT IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE GEAR WE WILL GAR UNTIL EVERYBODY AGREES THAT ALL HAS BEEN CHKED AND DONE THAT CAN BE BEFORE LNDG. FURTHERMORE BE MORE SURE OF THE CONDITION OF THE GEAR BY CHKING RECORDS AND ASKING QUESTIONS.

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.