Narrative:

On mar/fri/98, at approximately XA00 I departed kearney, northeast, for a nonstop flight to cheyenne, wy, with 3 passenger onboard. En route I noticed the gear unsafe light flicker on the annunciator panel which prompted me to select gear down with the gear selector. The gear extended normally and all three of the green 'wheels down and locked' lights came on. I then moved the gear selector knob up to retract the landing gear but nothing happened. I still had the three green 'wheels down and locked' lights. I could also see the nosewheel in the mirror located on the left nacelle and I could still feel the drag of the wheels. I also did not see any popped circuit breakers. At this point I decided that the best thing to do was to land at the next airport but continue to troubleshoot the situation so that I could have more information for the mechanic. I went through the checklist, cycled the breaker and the gear selector in different aircraft configns but with no change. I always had the three green 'wheels down and locked' lights illuminated, the nosewheel in the mirror and the feel of drag from the wheels. Suspecting that the gear selector knob was not attaining the full up position, I applied slight upward pressure to it at which point it came off very easily in my hand. Realizing that this was not something covered in the checklist I set it aside and began to prepare for the landing in north platte without a standard set of procedures backing me up. Having had the landing gear stay down and locked with the three green 'wheels down and locked' lights stay on continuously since I first extended the gear 20 mins ago, I was convinced that the wheels were down and locked and that I could land safely and uneventfully in north platte. Prior to landing I thought I would go even one step further to assure that the wheels were down by having someone at the FBO verify it as I flew over the ramp. I first spoke to a woman who handed me off to someone named 'X,' one of the ramp personnel of FBO aviation. 'X' watched me fly over the ramp area and reported back over the radio to me that he did see all three of the wheels down and that everything looked normal. With the runway in sight, the three green 'wheels down and locked' lights illuminated and multiple verification that the wheels were down, I felt very confident in landing the airplane. I flew final approach a little fast in order to fly the airplane onto the runway and make as smooth a landing as possible. I could still see the three green 'wheels down and locked' lights and nosewheel in the mirror through short final until I had to divert all of my attention to outside the airplane during the flare. There was a slight crosswind from the right and I felt the right main wheel make contact and roll for a while and then I felt the left wheel on the ground. What appeared to be a normal landing fell apart when seconds later I could see and feel the left propeller striking the ground and see the blades curling back. I could tell I lost the left main gear but I continued to flare the aircraft in order to maintain control. I then saw and felt the right propeller striking the ground, however I held the airplane off as long as I could until I had full aft elevator and the aircraft began to slide to a stop. Immediately I turned off the master switch and shut off the fuel before exiting the airplane to assist the passenger out and away from the airplane. As soon as I could I followed the procedures in notifying company management and attempting to notify the FAA. In hindsight there are many things that I could have done differently. The first thing that I would change would be to not try and troubleshoot the situation. If there is a landing gear problem, leave the gear down, don't touch anything and just land. It isn't worth the risk of possibly making the situation worse. I also would have requested crash assistance from the airport prior to landing. I did not see the potentiality of this simple gear stuck down problem escalating into a situation where people could get hurt. No one did get hurt thankfully. Also I am sending in this report with the understanding from the FAA that this is not an accident but an incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA34-220 ATX PLT FLT TESTS THE GEAR WHILE ENRTE ON A PAX RUN TO CYS, WY. PLT HAD NOTED A 'FLICKER' ON THE GEAR UNSAFE PANEL AND DECIDED TO CYCLE THE GEAR. IT ONLY CYCLED ONE WAY. HE DIVERTED AND THE GEAR COLLAPSED UPON LNDG AT LBF, NE.

Narrative: ON MAR/FRI/98, AT APPROX XA00 I DEPARTED KEARNEY, NE, FOR A NONSTOP FLT TO CHEYENNE, WY, WITH 3 PAX ONBOARD. ENRTE I NOTICED THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT FLICKER ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL WHICH PROMPTED ME TO SELECT GEAR DOWN WITH THE GEAR SELECTOR. THE GEAR EXTENDED NORMALLY AND ALL THREE OF THE GREEN 'WHEELS DOWN AND LOCKED' LIGHTS CAME ON. I THEN MOVED THE GEAR SELECTOR KNOB UP TO RETRACT THE LNDG GEAR BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. I STILL HAD THE THREE GREEN 'WHEELS DOWN AND LOCKED' LIGHTS. I COULD ALSO SEE THE NOSEWHEEL IN THE MIRROR LOCATED ON THE L NACELLE AND I COULD STILL FEEL THE DRAG OF THE WHEELS. I ALSO DID NOT SEE ANY POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS. AT THIS POINT I DECIDED THAT THE BEST THING TO DO WAS TO LAND AT THE NEXT ARPT BUT CONTINUE TO TROUBLESHOOT THE SIT SO THAT I COULD HAVE MORE INFO FOR THE MECH. I WENT THROUGH THE CHKLIST, CYCLED THE BREAKER AND THE GEAR SELECTOR IN DIFFERENT ACFT CONFIGNS BUT WITH NO CHANGE. I ALWAYS HAD THE THREE GREEN 'WHEELS DOWN AND LOCKED' LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, THE NOSEWHEEL IN THE MIRROR AND THE FEEL OF DRAG FROM THE WHEELS. SUSPECTING THAT THE GEAR SELECTOR KNOB WAS NOT ATTAINING THE FULL UP POS, I APPLIED SLIGHT UPWARD PRESSURE TO IT AT WHICH POINT IT CAME OFF VERY EASILY IN MY HAND. REALIZING THAT THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING COVERED IN THE CHKLIST I SET IT ASIDE AND BEGAN TO PREPARE FOR THE LNDG IN NORTH PLATTE WITHOUT A STANDARD SET OF PROCS BACKING ME UP. HAVING HAD THE LNDG GEAR STAY DOWN AND LOCKED WITH THE THREE GREEN 'WHEELS DOWN AND LOCKED' LIGHTS STAY ON CONTINUOUSLY SINCE I FIRST EXTENDED THE GEAR 20 MINS AGO, I WAS CONVINCED THAT THE WHEELS WERE DOWN AND LOCKED AND THAT I COULD LAND SAFELY AND UNEVENTFULLY IN NORTH PLATTE. PRIOR TO LNDG I THOUGHT I WOULD GO EVEN ONE STEP FURTHER TO ASSURE THAT THE WHEELS WERE DOWN BY HAVING SOMEONE AT THE FBO VERIFY IT AS I FLEW OVER THE RAMP. I FIRST SPOKE TO A WOMAN WHO HANDED ME OFF TO SOMEONE NAMED 'X,' ONE OF THE RAMP PERSONNEL OF FBO AVIATION. 'X' WATCHED ME FLY OVER THE RAMP AREA AND RPTED BACK OVER THE RADIO TO ME THAT HE DID SEE ALL THREE OF THE WHEELS DOWN AND THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL. WITH THE RWY IN SIGHT, THE THREE GREEN 'WHEELS DOWN AND LOCKED' LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND MULTIPLE VERIFICATION THAT THE WHEELS WERE DOWN, I FELT VERY CONFIDENT IN LNDG THE AIRPLANE. I FLEW FINAL APCH A LITTLE FAST IN ORDER TO FLY THE AIRPLANE ONTO THE RWY AND MAKE AS SMOOTH A LNDG AS POSSIBLE. I COULD STILL SEE THE THREE GREEN 'WHEELS DOWN AND LOCKED' LIGHTS AND NOSEWHEEL IN THE MIRROR THROUGH SHORT FINAL UNTIL I HAD TO DIVERT ALL OF MY ATTN TO OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE DURING THE FLARE. THERE WAS A SLIGHT XWIND FROM THE R AND I FELT THE R MAIN WHEEL MAKE CONTACT AND ROLL FOR A WHILE AND THEN I FELT THE L WHEEL ON THE GND. WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL LNDG FELL APART WHEN SECONDS LATER I COULD SEE AND FEEL THE L PROP STRIKING THE GND AND SEE THE BLADES CURLING BACK. I COULD TELL I LOST THE L MAIN GEAR BUT I CONTINUED TO FLARE THE ACFT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CTL. I THEN SAW AND FELT THE R PROP STRIKING THE GND, HOWEVER I HELD THE AIRPLANE OFF AS LONG AS I COULD UNTIL I HAD FULL AFT ELEVATOR AND THE ACFT BEGAN TO SLIDE TO A STOP. IMMEDIATELY I TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND SHUT OFF THE FUEL BEFORE EXITING THE AIRPLANE TO ASSIST THE PAX OUT AND AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE. AS SOON AS I COULD I FOLLOWED THE PROCS IN NOTIFYING COMPANY MGMNT AND ATTEMPTING TO NOTIFY THE FAA. IN HINDSIGHT THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. THE FIRST THING THAT I WOULD CHANGE WOULD BE TO NOT TRY AND TROUBLESHOOT THE SIT. IF THERE IS A LNDG GEAR PROB, LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING AND JUST LAND. IT ISN'T WORTH THE RISK OF POSSIBLY MAKING THE SIT WORSE. I ALSO WOULD HAVE REQUESTED CRASH ASSISTANCE FROM THE ARPT PRIOR TO LNDG. I DID NOT SEE THE POTENTIALITY OF THIS SIMPLE GEAR STUCK DOWN PROB ESCALATING INTO A SIT WHERE PEOPLE COULD GET HURT. NO ONE DID GET HURT THANKFULLY. ALSO I AM SENDING IN THIS RPT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING FROM THE FAA THAT THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT BUT AN 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.