Narrative:

This letter is to detail the circumstances surrounding the incident of jun/fri/98. I was returning to gary, in, when I experienced a gear related problem. My gear doors did not close after lowering the gear. I landed without incident, and informed my FBO. They worked on the plane, and replaced both gear door actuators. I flew on a couple of occasions after that, with no difficulty. On jun/fri/98, I flew to new orleans. On that trip, I made a stop in tupelo, ms, for gas. On takeoff, I noted the gear would not go up, and that the circuit breaker on the panel had popped. I immediately pushed it in and the gear doors closed. Upon arrival at new orleans lakefront airport, I lowered the gear, only to discover that the circuit breaker had popped again, and would not go back in. It appeared that the gear were not all the way down, and that the gear doors had not closed. I then pumped the manual pump handle, and landed without incident, although the gear doors never did close. On the following business day (jun/mon/98) I contacted a maintenance facility at new orleans. On jun/wed/98, he indicated the problem appeared to be a 'switch down lock' and ordered a replacement. On jun/fri/98, he said that he had installed the switch, but that he did not believe that had solved the problem of the circuit breaker. He said that he believed there was a short somewhere between the switch and the gear down light/stall horn warning. What seemed to be happening was that the gear down motor would not quit running, and it would pop the switch. He said that he believed the gear would go up, but that the gear doors would remain open. He then told me that it would be best if the motor not run for the entire trip back to gary, and that I should pull the circuit breaker on the console, after takeoff, so that I could shut off the motor. I was told that the company had spent 36 hours on the plane. I glanced at the invoice at that time to only check the amounts matched, signed the charge slip. On takeoff, I climbed out and tried to get the gear up. They would not go up, nor would the gear doors close. I decided to stop for fuel at cape girardeau and, before landing, looked at the gear. They looked fine, but I did some pumping of the manual handle, just to be sure. On touchdown, everything seemed fine, for the first several hundred ft. Then, I experienced a 'wobble' and some loss of control. I applied brakes as I could to leave the runway, and ended up going to the right side of the runway, and into the grass. I could see that the right main gear had collapsed into the airplane. The left main was fine, as was the nose gear. In perusing the invoice (from maintenance facility), I found to my dismay that typed on the invoice were the words 'aircraft requires additional maintenance prior to being airworthy.' I was stunned. No one at maintenance facility had given me any hint that the airplane was not worthy. It never occurred to me to read the full invoice. I assumed the invoice simply described the work the mechanic did.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT DEPARTED GYY FOR MSY AND EXPERIENCED ENRTE A GEAR PROB ENCOUNTERED A FEW WKS PRIOR. MSY MAINT FACILITY CONDUCTED REPAIRS BUT NOTED PROBS WITH AIRWORTHINESS, NOT OBSERVED BY OWNER. MAKING FUEL STOP AT CGI, ACFT R GEAR COLLAPSES. INVESTIGATION OF INCIDENT REVEALS NOTE OF AIRWORTHINESS.

Narrative: THIS LETTER IS TO DETAIL THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE INCIDENT OF JUN/FRI/98. I WAS RETURNING TO GARY, IN, WHEN I EXPERIENCED A GEAR RELATED PROB. MY GEAR DOORS DID NOT CLOSE AFTER LOWERING THE GEAR. I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT, AND INFORMED MY FBO. THEY WORKED ON THE PLANE, AND REPLACED BOTH GEAR DOOR ACTUATORS. I FLEW ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS AFTER THAT, WITH NO DIFFICULTY. ON JUN/FRI/98, I FLEW TO NEW ORLEANS. ON THAT TRIP, I MADE A STOP IN TUPELO, MS, FOR GAS. ON TKOF, I NOTED THE GEAR WOULD NOT GO UP, AND THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER ON THE PANEL HAD POPPED. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED IT IN AND THE GEAR DOORS CLOSED. UPON ARR AT NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT ARPT, I LOWERED THE GEAR, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD POPPED AGAIN, AND WOULD NOT GO BACK IN. IT APPEARED THAT THE GEAR WERE NOT ALL THE WAY DOWN, AND THAT THE GEAR DOORS HAD NOT CLOSED. I THEN PUMPED THE MANUAL PUMP HANDLE, AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT, ALTHOUGH THE GEAR DOORS NEVER DID CLOSE. ON THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY (JUN/MON/98) I CONTACTED A MAINT FACILITY AT NEW ORLEANS. ON JUN/WED/98, HE INDICATED THE PROB APPEARED TO BE A 'SWITCH DOWN LOCK' AND ORDERED A REPLACEMENT. ON JUN/FRI/98, HE SAID THAT HE HAD INSTALLED THE SWITCH, BUT THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT HAD SOLVED THE PROB OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER. HE SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THERE WAS A SHORT SOMEWHERE BTWN THE SWITCH AND THE GEAR DOWN LIGHT/STALL HORN WARNING. WHAT SEEMED TO BE HAPPENING WAS THAT THE GEAR DOWN MOTOR WOULD NOT QUIT RUNNING, AND IT WOULD POP THE SWITCH. HE SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THE GEAR WOULD GO UP, BUT THAT THE GEAR DOORS WOULD REMAIN OPEN. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE BEST IF THE MOTOR NOT RUN FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP BACK TO GARY, AND THAT I SHOULD PULL THE CIRCUIT BREAKER ON THE CONSOLE, AFTER TKOF, SO THAT I COULD SHUT OFF THE MOTOR. I WAS TOLD THAT THE COMPANY HAD SPENT 36 HRS ON THE PLANE. I GLANCED AT THE INVOICE AT THAT TIME TO ONLY CHK THE AMOUNTS MATCHED, SIGNED THE CHARGE SLIP. ON TKOF, I CLBED OUT AND TRIED TO GET THE GEAR UP. THEY WOULD NOT GO UP, NOR WOULD THE GEAR DOORS CLOSE. I DECIDED TO STOP FOR FUEL AT CAPE GIRARDEAU AND, BEFORE LNDG, LOOKED AT THE GEAR. THEY LOOKED FINE, BUT I DID SOME PUMPING OF THE MANUAL HANDLE, JUST TO BE SURE. ON TOUCHDOWN, EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE, FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL HUNDRED FT. THEN, I EXPERIENCED A 'WOBBLE' AND SOME LOSS OF CTL. I APPLIED BRAKES AS I COULD TO LEAVE THE RWY, AND ENDED UP GOING TO THE R SIDE OF THE RWY, AND INTO THE GRASS. I COULD SEE THAT THE R MAIN GEAR HAD COLLAPSED INTO THE AIRPLANE. THE L MAIN WAS FINE, AS WAS THE NOSE GEAR. IN PERUSING THE INVOICE (FROM MAINT FACILITY), I FOUND TO MY DISMAY THAT TYPED ON THE INVOICE WERE THE WORDS 'ACFT REQUIRES ADDITIONAL MAINT PRIOR TO BEING AIRWORTHY.' I WAS STUNNED. NO ONE AT MAINT FACILITY HAD GIVEN ME ANY HINT THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT WORTHY. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO READ THE FULL INVOICE. I ASSUMED THE INVOICE SIMPLY DESCRIBED THE WORK THE MECH DID.

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.