Narrative:

Landing gear was selected down. Did not receive safe indication on right main. Also red in-transit light illuminated. Followed abnormal procedure checklist. This did not satisfy situation. Still had unsafe gear condition at this point. Spoke with maintenance control via radio, indicated that gear was indicating unsafe. However, hydraulic pump had silenced, and confign horn did not sound with flaps set to 20 degrees. I was advised that the circuitry which operated the gear indication lights, also controls several other items as well, ie, hydraulic pump as well as confign horn. Armed with this knowledge, an emergency was not declared. A normal landing was made. After inspection of the right main gear assembly, it was noted the inboard ctring spring had broken and lodged in the downlock assembly. The gear was in fact not totally secure. Obviously there is nothing which could have been done to prevent the spring from breaking. It would have been wiser, however, to not act solely on maintenance's recommendations that the gear was down. It would have been more judicious to have declared an emergency, and prepared for a possible gear failure. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter was captain and PIC of a saab SF340. Reporter stated this airplane is not configured with gear down and locked visual indications. All abnormal procedures were followed from the flight manual that were concerned with this situation. Reporter also stated it was not normal company policy to contact maintenance but felt it was an additional resource. The airplane had no previous history of gear indication malfunctions. The FAA did not contact the reporter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SAAB SF340 WITH GEAR HANDLE IN DOWN POS HAD UNSAFE WARNING ON R MAIN LNDG GEAR.

Narrative: LNDG GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN. DID NOT RECEIVE SAFE INDICATION ON R MAIN. ALSO RED IN-TRANSIT LIGHT ILLUMINATED. FOLLOWED ABNORMAL PROC CHKLIST. THIS DID NOT SATISFY SIT. STILL HAD UNSAFE GEAR CONDITION AT THIS POINT. SPOKE WITH MAINT CTL VIA RADIO, INDICATED THAT GEAR WAS INDICATING UNSAFE. HOWEVER, HYD PUMP HAD SILENCED, AND CONFIGN HORN DID NOT SOUND WITH FLAPS SET TO 20 DEGS. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE CIRCUITRY WHICH OPERATED THE GEAR INDICATION LIGHTS, ALSO CTLS SEVERAL OTHER ITEMS AS WELL, IE, HYD PUMP AS WELL AS CONFIGN HORN. ARMED WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE, AN EMER WAS NOT DECLARED. A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. AFTER INSPECTION OF THE R MAIN GEAR ASSEMBLY, IT WAS NOTED THE INBOARD CTRING SPRING HAD BROKEN AND LODGED IN THE DOWNLOCK ASSEMBLY. THE GEAR WAS IN FACT NOT TOTALLY SECURE. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS NOTHING WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THE SPRING FROM BREAKING. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WISER, HOWEVER, TO NOT ACT SOLELY ON MAINT'S RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE JUDICIOUS TO HAVE DECLARED AN EMER, AND PREPARED FOR A POSSIBLE GEAR FAILURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS CAPT AND PIC OF A SAAB SF340. RPTR STATED THIS AIRPLANE IS NOT CONFIGURED WITH GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED VISUAL INDICATIONS. ALL ABNORMAL PROCS WERE FOLLOWED FROM THE FLT MANUAL THAT WERE CONCERNED WITH THIS SIT. RPTR ALSO STATED IT WAS NOT NORMAL COMPANY POLICY TO CONTACT MAINT BUT FELT IT WAS AN ADDITIONAL RESOURCE. THE AIRPLANE HAD NO PREVIOUS HISTORY OF GEAR INDICATION MALFUNCTIONS. THE FAA DID NOT CONTACT THE RPTR.

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.