Narrative:

On mar/ab/98, at about XX00 local, I started a test flight from the chino, ca, airport. Once this flight was successfully completed, I planned to fly the first leg of a ferry flight back to the des moines, iowa area. Since the ferry flight was to be conducted only under day VFR conditions a short test flight was planned. The aircraft, a beech-18 tri-gear, had not flown for about 2 yrs. Beechcraft xxl had just undergone an extensive annual inspection and I thought it prudent to test fly the plane prior to filling the gas tanks to capacity (330 gals) and starting over the mountains to the east. The following is the sequence of actions that describes this event. The aircraft was fueled with 25 gals of 100 ll in each of the wing tanks. This brought the total fuel onboard to about 7/10 of capacity (approximately 231 gals onboard). A normal checklist guided run-up was completed and the aircraft was taxied to the longer of the chino runways (26L). The takeoff and climb were normal in every aspect. A short flight followed, to check the fuel, oil and vacuum pressures and temperatures. All were normal. I returned to the airport, slowed the airplane to 125 mph, less than maximum gear extension speed, and placed the gear selector to the down position. The gear did not come down. After numerous attempts to cycle the gear it was determined that an emergency gear extension was necessary. The checklist for emergency gear extension was followed to the letter. I was able to see that the nosewheel was extended with the mirrors installed on the aircraft engine cowlings, but I did not have gear safe lights (3 greens) to confirm that the gear was down and locked. I requested and received permission to fly by the tower to visually confirm that the gear was down. I then started a landing pattern to land on runway 26L. The full flap landing was smooth and without a bounce. The gear seemed to be ok until the aircraft slowed to about 40 mph. At that point the left main gear started to collapse. I applied takeoff power and flew the airplane back off the runway. Several things were tried to get the gear to lock inthe down position. Only the left main gear indicated that it was down and locked. The tower again confirmed that all of the gear appeared to be down and a second attempt was made to land. The second landing was much like the first. As the aircraft slowed to about 40 mph all gear seemed to be holding. Slowing to about 30 mph (no brakes were applied) the nose gear started to collapse. Seeing that the gear was failing, the mixture controls were moved to idle cut-off. The propellers were windmilling to a stop as the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft slid down the runway for a short distance, gradually turning to the right because of the increased drag caused by the collapsed right gear. It came to rest in the upright position with no additional damage to the wings, cabin or tail structure. The master, magnetos and fuel were turned off and I exited the aircraft through the rear airstair door. There was no fire and only minimal fuel leakage from the right tank vent. There were no injuries. The aircraft was hoisted up and moved to a nearby facility for evaluation and repairs. Supplemental information from acn 396493: at landing gear extension point gear selector was moved to the down position. Gear did not move from up position. Recycled gear several times and rechked all circuit breakers. Gear still did not respond to gear lever movements. Gear lights indicated all landing gears in up position. Initiated emergency gear down procedures per checklists. At gear clutch release point (gear should free fall) gear did not come down. Initial efforts to turn hand crank were met with extreme resistance. Aircraft was at a low airspeed to facilitate gear down cranking. After considerable hand crank effort, gear came down and by use of mirrors on cowling we could see nose gear extend. Several attempts were made to recycle the gear by electric means. None of these were successful. Gear did not respond to any other commands from cockpit gear lever. A fly-by of tower was made and reports from tower was that gear was down. Cockpit indications were abnormal with no green lights on. A long slow approach was made to the runway to initiate a landing. At touchdown on main gear all appeared normal, as aircraft began to settle left gear started to collapse. Power was applied and a go around was initiated. Emergency extension procedure was again initiated through entire sequence with same results. This was done several times or more. A second approach to runway was started. Upon touchdown there was a banging noise followed by a green light for the left gear. Another go around was initiated and still another gear extension sequence gone through. Also some time during these events the gear motor emergency viewing door in cockpit was opened and a check made of clutch release cable, torque tube and limit switches. All appeared normal. After a brief discussion and review of all possible solutions another attempt was made at a landing. Cockpit gear indications at this point were left gear down. Another long slow approach to landing was made with a very normal touchdown on both main gears. Nose was held off as long as possible at the very end of this rollout after nose gear touchdown, the nose gear began a slow collapse, aircraft swerved to the right followed by right main gear collapse.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE18 TRICYCLE LNDG GEAR ACFT IS UNABLE TO EXTEND ITS LNDG GEAR TO A LOCKED POS DURING APCH TO CNO, CA. LNDG GEAR COLLAPSES DURING ROLLOUT.

Narrative: ON MAR/AB/98, AT ABOUT XX00 LCL, I STARTED A TEST FLT FROM THE CHINO, CA, ARPT. ONCE THIS FLT WAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED, I PLANNED TO FLY THE FIRST LEG OF A FERRY FLT BACK TO THE DES MOINES, IOWA AREA. SINCE THE FERRY FLT WAS TO BE CONDUCTED ONLY UNDER DAY VFR CONDITIONS A SHORT TEST FLT WAS PLANNED. THE ACFT, A BEECH-18 TRI-GEAR, HAD NOT FLOWN FOR ABOUT 2 YRS. BEECHCRAFT XXL HAD JUST UNDERGONE AN EXTENSIVE ANNUAL INSPECTION AND I THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO TEST FLY THE PLANE PRIOR TO FILLING THE GAS TANKS TO CAPACITY (330 GALS) AND STARTING OVER THE MOUNTAINS TO THE E. THE FOLLOWING IS THE SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS THAT DESCRIBES THIS EVENT. THE ACFT WAS FUELED WITH 25 GALS OF 100 LL IN EACH OF THE WING TANKS. THIS BROUGHT THE TOTAL FUEL ONBOARD TO ABOUT 7/10 OF CAPACITY (APPROX 231 GALS ONBOARD). A NORMAL CHKLIST GUIDED RUN-UP WAS COMPLETED AND THE ACFT WAS TAXIED TO THE LONGER OF THE CHINO RWYS (26L). THE TKOF AND CLB WERE NORMAL IN EVERY ASPECT. A SHORT FLT FOLLOWED, TO CHK THE FUEL, OIL AND VACUUM PRESSURES AND TEMPS. ALL WERE NORMAL. I RETURNED TO THE ARPT, SLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO 125 MPH, LESS THAN MAX GEAR EXTENSION SPD, AND PLACED THE GEAR SELECTOR TO THE DOWN POS. THE GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO CYCLE THE GEAR IT WAS DETERMINED THAT AN EMER GEAR EXTENSION WAS NECESSARY. THE CHKLIST FOR EMER GEAR EXTENSION WAS FOLLOWED TO THE LETTER. I WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT THE NOSEWHEEL WAS EXTENDED WITH THE MIRRORS INSTALLED ON THE ACFT ENG COWLINGS, BUT I DID NOT HAVE GEAR SAFE LIGHTS (3 GREENS) TO CONFIRM THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO FLY BY THE TWR TO VISUALLY CONFIRM THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN. I THEN STARTED A LNDG PATTERN TO LAND ON RWY 26L. THE FULL FLAP LNDG WAS SMOOTH AND WITHOUT A BOUNCE. THE GEAR SEEMED TO BE OK UNTIL THE ACFT SLOWED TO ABOUT 40 MPH. AT THAT POINT THE L MAIN GEAR STARTED TO COLLAPSE. I APPLIED TKOF PWR AND FLEW THE AIRPLANE BACK OFF THE RWY. SEVERAL THINGS WERE TRIED TO GET THE GEAR TO LOCK INTHE DOWN POS. ONLY THE L MAIN GEAR INDICATED THAT IT WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE TWR AGAIN CONFIRMED THAT ALL OF THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN AND A SECOND ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO LAND. THE SECOND LNDG WAS MUCH LIKE THE FIRST. AS THE ACFT SLOWED TO ABOUT 40 MPH ALL GEAR SEEMED TO BE HOLDING. SLOWING TO ABOUT 30 MPH (NO BRAKES WERE APPLIED) THE NOSE GEAR STARTED TO COLLAPSE. SEEING THAT THE GEAR WAS FAILING, THE MIXTURE CTLS WERE MOVED TO IDLE CUT-OFF. THE PROPS WERE WINDMILLING TO A STOP AS THE R MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ACFT SLID DOWN THE RWY FOR A SHORT DISTANCE, GRADUALLY TURNING TO THE R BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED DRAG CAUSED BY THE COLLAPSED R GEAR. IT CAME TO REST IN THE UPRIGHT POS WITH NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGS, CABIN OR TAIL STRUCTURE. THE MASTER, MAGNETOS AND FUEL WERE TURNED OFF AND I EXITED THE ACFT THROUGH THE REAR AIRSTAIR DOOR. THERE WAS NO FIRE AND ONLY MINIMAL FUEL LEAKAGE FROM THE R TANK VENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE ACFT WAS HOISTED UP AND MOVED TO A NEARBY FACILITY FOR EVALUATION AND REPAIRS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 396493: AT LNDG GEAR EXTENSION POINT GEAR SELECTOR WAS MOVED TO THE DOWN POS. GEAR DID NOT MOVE FROM UP POS. RECYCLED GEAR SEVERAL TIMES AND RECHKED ALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS. GEAR STILL DID NOT RESPOND TO GEAR LEVER MOVEMENTS. GEAR LIGHTS INDICATED ALL LNDG GEARS IN UP POS. INITIATED EMER GEAR DOWN PROCS PER CHKLISTS. AT GEAR CLUTCH RELEASE POINT (GEAR SHOULD FREE FALL) GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN. INITIAL EFFORTS TO TURN HAND CRANK WERE MET WITH EXTREME RESISTANCE. ACFT WAS AT A LOW AIRSPD TO FACILITATE GEAR DOWN CRANKING. AFTER CONSIDERABLE HAND CRANK EFFORT, GEAR CAME DOWN AND BY USE OF MIRRORS ON COWLING WE COULD SEE NOSE GEAR EXTEND. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO RECYCLE THE GEAR BY ELECTRIC MEANS. NONE OF THESE WERE SUCCESSFUL. GEAR DID NOT RESPOND TO ANY OTHER COMMANDS FROM COCKPIT GEAR LEVER. A FLY-BY OF TWR WAS MADE AND RPTS FROM TWR WAS THAT GEAR WAS DOWN. COCKPIT INDICATIONS WERE ABNORMAL WITH NO GREEN LIGHTS ON. A LONG SLOW APCH WAS MADE TO THE RWY TO INITIATE A LNDG. AT TOUCHDOWN ON MAIN GEAR ALL APPEARED NORMAL, AS ACFT BEGAN TO SETTLE L GEAR STARTED TO COLLAPSE. PWR WAS APPLIED AND A GAR WAS INITIATED. EMER EXTENSION PROC WAS AGAIN INITIATED THROUGH ENTIRE SEQUENCE WITH SAME RESULTS. THIS WAS DONE SEVERAL TIMES OR MORE. A SECOND APCH TO RWY WAS STARTED. UPON TOUCHDOWN THERE WAS A BANGING NOISE FOLLOWED BY A GREEN LIGHT FOR THE L GEAR. ANOTHER GAR WAS INITIATED AND STILL ANOTHER GEAR EXTENSION SEQUENCE GONE THROUGH. ALSO SOME TIME DURING THESE EVENTS THE GEAR MOTOR EMER VIEWING DOOR IN COCKPIT WAS OPENED AND A CHK MADE OF CLUTCH RELEASE CABLE, TORQUE TUBE AND LIMIT SWITCHES. ALL APPEARED NORMAL. AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION AND REVIEW OF ALL POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ANOTHER ATTEMPT WAS MADE AT A LNDG. COCKPIT GEAR INDICATIONS AT THIS POINT WERE LEFT GEAR DOWN. ANOTHER LONG SLOW APCH TO LNDG WAS MADE WITH A VERY NORMAL TOUCHDOWN ON BOTH MAIN GEARS. NOSE WAS HELD OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AT THE VERY END OF THIS ROLLOUT AFTER NOSE GEAR TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE GEAR BEGAN A SLOW COLLAPSE, ACFT SWERVED TO THE R FOLLOWED BY R MAIN GEAR COLLAPSE.

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.