Narrative:

This is in regard to my landing gear occurrence on the night of nov/xa/97. I left chico at approximately XA30 local time. My destination was oakland. I entered IMC approximately 10 mi north of the williams VOR after receiving my IFR clearance. This part of the flight was enjoyable and uneventful. It was not until GS intercept that things started to change. As I intercepted the GS I selected gear down. I noticed that only the 2 main wheels were indicating down and locked 'in the green.' I cycled the gear one more time before reporting the situation to the tower. Once I mentioned it to them, they issued a missed approach instruction, with which I complied. The tower handed me off to approach control and he kindly gave me a vector and an altitude of 4000 ft. Now with the wheels in the wells I slowed the airplane down to approximately 80 KTS and again dropped the gear. I remember being able to hear the hydraulic pump continuing to run. I first checked the circuit breaker. I turned off the navigation lights and panel lights to see if that might have an affect on the nose indication. Then I began switching the indicating lights to see if it might only be a bulb. I again tried cycling the gear with no change in results. I then found the aircraft manual and placed it in my lap. I went through the checklist and used the emergency extension system and got the same results. Next I tried yawing the airplane from side-to-side to no avail. Next I put the plane into a dive until reaching 120 KTS and pulled up forcefully to try and swing the gear down with excessive G's. No luck, but after doing this twice, I no longer heard the pump running. Approach control had given me a vector back to the airport and a lower altitude. I eventually reached VFR conditions and was able to stay there for the duration of the flight. My next course of action was to see if someone could see the gear. I asked approach if I could fly by the tower and that was arranged. I turned on the taxi and landing lights when I was about 6 mi out. These 2 lights are on the nose gear and are visible when the gear is extended. Approaching the tower they said they had a visual sighting of the 2 lights and the gear. I verified this a couple of times. Now I decided to put the plane on the ground. I was given a left downwind to runway 9 and cleared to land. I swung out a bit wide and put myself on final. I kept the speed up a bit higher than normal to try and soften the landing. On final I again asked the tower if they saw the lights and they confirmed. I unlatched the door, and when I had my landing assured I pulled the mixtures and shut off the fuel selectors. I kept the nose off as long as I could before it gently dropped. I felt the nosewheel begin to roll and thought it might hold. I think I even told the tower that I had a wheel. Then just as I said or thought that, I felt the nose begin to drop. It was gentle and I had no feeling of any sudden force. It was loud. I knew the propellers were still slowing down and when I saw them after coming to a stop, I realized they were hit pretty hard. Before the plane came to a stop, the magnetos were off, as were all of the alternators and lights. The master was on because I checked in with the tower and told them I was fine, then that too was turned off. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the pilot said that maintenance had not determined the cause of the nose gear collapse, but the propellers have been replaced and the engines inspected, no damage, as with the rest of the aircraft. The mechanics were able to raise the nose of the aircraft and simply pull the nose gear past down locks and tow the aircraft to parking. The aircraft was flown to a rework facility after replacing the propellers. The engine inspection was completed the day after this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA34 PLT WAS UNABLE TO GET THE NOSE GEAR TO LOCK COMPLETELY DOWN AND AS HE ROLLED DOWN THE RWY IT COLLAPSED DAMAGING BOTH PROPS WHEN THEY STRUCK THE SURFACE.

Narrative: THIS IS IN REGARD TO MY LNDG GEAR OCCURRENCE ON THE NIGHT OF NOV/XA/97. I LEFT CHICO AT APPROX XA30 LCL TIME. MY DEST WAS OAKLAND. I ENTERED IMC APPROX 10 MI N OF THE WILLIAMS VOR AFTER RECEIVING MY IFR CLRNC. THIS PART OF THE FLT WAS ENJOYABLE AND UNEVENTFUL. IT WAS NOT UNTIL GS INTERCEPT THAT THINGS STARTED TO CHANGE. AS I INTERCEPTED THE GS I SELECTED GEAR DOWN. I NOTICED THAT ONLY THE 2 MAIN WHEELS WERE INDICATING DOWN AND LOCKED 'IN THE GREEN.' I CYCLED THE GEAR ONE MORE TIME BEFORE RPTING THE SIT TO THE TWR. ONCE I MENTIONED IT TO THEM, THEY ISSUED A MISSED APCH INSTRUCTION, WITH WHICH I COMPLIED. THE TWR HANDED ME OFF TO APCH CTL AND HE KINDLY GAVE ME A VECTOR AND AN ALT OF 4000 FT. NOW WITH THE WHEELS IN THE WELLS I SLOWED THE AIRPLANE DOWN TO APPROX 80 KTS AND AGAIN DROPPED THE GEAR. I REMEMBER BEING ABLE TO HEAR THE HYD PUMP CONTINUING TO RUN. I FIRST CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER. I TURNED OFF THE NAV LIGHTS AND PANEL LIGHTS TO SEE IF THAT MIGHT HAVE AN AFFECT ON THE NOSE INDICATION. THEN I BEGAN SWITCHING THE INDICATING LIGHTS TO SEE IF IT MIGHT ONLY BE A BULB. I AGAIN TRIED CYCLING THE GEAR WITH NO CHANGE IN RESULTS. I THEN FOUND THE ACFT MANUAL AND PLACED IT IN MY LAP. I WENT THROUGH THE CHKLIST AND USED THE EMER EXTENSION SYS AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS. NEXT I TRIED YAWING THE AIRPLANE FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE TO NO AVAIL. NEXT I PUT THE PLANE INTO A DIVE UNTIL REACHING 120 KTS AND PULLED UP FORCEFULLY TO TRY AND SWING THE GEAR DOWN WITH EXCESSIVE G'S. NO LUCK, BUT AFTER DOING THIS TWICE, I NO LONGER HEARD THE PUMP RUNNING. APCH CTL HAD GIVEN ME A VECTOR BACK TO THE ARPT AND A LOWER ALT. I EVENTUALLY REACHED VFR CONDITIONS AND WAS ABLE TO STAY THERE FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLT. MY NEXT COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO SEE IF SOMEONE COULD SEE THE GEAR. I ASKED APCH IF I COULD FLY BY THE TWR AND THAT WAS ARRANGED. I TURNED ON THE TAXI AND LNDG LIGHTS WHEN I WAS ABOUT 6 MI OUT. THESE 2 LIGHTS ARE ON THE NOSE GEAR AND ARE VISIBLE WHEN THE GEAR IS EXTENDED. APCHING THE TWR THEY SAID THEY HAD A VISUAL SIGHTING OF THE 2 LIGHTS AND THE GEAR. I VERIFIED THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES. NOW I DECIDED TO PUT THE PLANE ON THE GND. I WAS GIVEN A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 9 AND CLRED TO LAND. I SWUNG OUT A BIT WIDE AND PUT MYSELF ON FINAL. I KEPT THE SPD UP A BIT HIGHER THAN NORMAL TO TRY AND SOFTEN THE LNDG. ON FINAL I AGAIN ASKED THE TWR IF THEY SAW THE LIGHTS AND THEY CONFIRMED. I UNLATCHED THE DOOR, AND WHEN I HAD MY LNDG ASSURED I PULLED THE MIXTURES AND SHUT OFF THE FUEL SELECTORS. I KEPT THE NOSE OFF AS LONG AS I COULD BEFORE IT GENTLY DROPPED. I FELT THE NOSEWHEEL BEGIN TO ROLL AND THOUGHT IT MIGHT HOLD. I THINK I EVEN TOLD THE TWR THAT I HAD A WHEEL. THEN JUST AS I SAID OR THOUGHT THAT, I FELT THE NOSE BEGIN TO DROP. IT WAS GENTLE AND I HAD NO FEELING OF ANY SUDDEN FORCE. IT WAS LOUD. I KNEW THE PROPS WERE STILL SLOWING DOWN AND WHEN I SAW THEM AFTER COMING TO A STOP, I REALIZED THEY WERE HIT PRETTY HARD. BEFORE THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP, THE MAGNETOS WERE OFF, AS WERE ALL OF THE ALTERNATORS AND LIGHTS. THE MASTER WAS ON BECAUSE I CHKED IN WITH THE TWR AND TOLD THEM I WAS FINE, THEN THAT TOO WAS TURNED OFF. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT SAID THAT MAINT HAD NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE, BUT THE PROPS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND THE ENGS INSPECTED, NO DAMAGE, AS WITH THE REST OF THE ACFT. THE MECHS WERE ABLE TO RAISE THE NOSE OF THE ACFT AND SIMPLY PULL THE NOSE GEAR PAST DOWN LOCKS AND TOW THE ACFT TO PARKING. THE ACFT WAS FLOWN TO A REWORK FACILITY AFTER REPLACING THE PROPS. THE ENG INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED THE DAY AFTER THIS INCIDENT.

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.