Narrative:

Approached opf at 1500 ft due to total electrical failure. I was planning to land at fll but due to the heavy traffic load there and keeping safety as the #1 factor, I diverted to opf airport. Circled above at 1500 ft until tower gave me a green light to land, put gear down, did not feel the gear down and locked, no light indications due to total electrical failure, no radios, etc. Approached and got as low as safety would allow to feel the gear on the runway. Did not feel the gear, added full power and went around. Tower was still giving green light. Thought maybe they can see the gear down. Climbed to 1500 ft to clear approaching and departing traffic. After a couple of circles, tower showed green light signals and I started another approach. Meanwhile I tried every means to visually see the gear but did not see it. Once again, saw the green, came to land, but at touchdown ht still did not feel the gear cushion. I added full power again noticing that the tower still blinked a green light. Keeping safety in mind, I went around, up to 1500 ft. I noticed fire trucks, dade county aviation personnel, tv crews, etc right on the taxiway parallel to runway 27R. I told my friends on board that I did not feel the gear down and locked so I was going to blow the gear down with the bottle. Circled twice, tower was getting traffic in and out meanwhile. Finally tower gave me a green signal again. I pulled the hydraulic circuit breaker out and pulled the t-handle to blow the gear down with the gear handle selected in the down position. Now felt the gear down and locked. Made the approach to a safe landing. Why didn't anyone advise the tower on my previous no gear approachs for landing to give me a red light for unsafe undercarriage. They were all at the runway in communication with the tower. Thanks to all my safety concern and training, otherwise it would have been a disaster if I would have just landed on tower advisory lights. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the aircraft was a C414, chancellor. He felt that since there were so many people on the taxiway that someone should have informed the tower that the gear was not down, then tower could have given a red light. He sent the report so that perhaps in the future such a procedure could be worked out.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A CPR ACFT, C414, HAS TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. HE CIRCLED OVER ARPT AND RECEIVED A GREEN LIGHT. GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND SO HE USED THE EMER NITRO CARTRIDGE TO EXTEND THE GEAR.

Narrative: APCHED OPF AT 1500 FT DUE TO TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. I WAS PLANNING TO LAND AT FLL BUT DUE TO THE HVY TFC LOAD THERE AND KEEPING SAFETY AS THE #1 FACTOR, I DIVERTED TO OPF ARPT. CIRCLED ABOVE AT 1500 FT UNTIL TWR GAVE ME A GREEN LIGHT TO LAND, PUT GEAR DOWN, DID NOT FEEL THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED, NO LIGHT INDICATIONS DUE TO TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE, NO RADIOS, ETC. APCHED AND GOT AS LOW AS SAFETY WOULD ALLOW TO FEEL THE GEAR ON THE RWY. DID NOT FEEL THE GEAR, ADDED FULL PWR AND WENT AROUND. TWR WAS STILL GIVING GREEN LIGHT. THOUGHT MAYBE THEY CAN SEE THE GEAR DOWN. CLBED TO 1500 FT TO CLR APCHING AND DEPARTING TFC. AFTER A COUPLE OF CIRCLES, TWR SHOWED GREEN LIGHT SIGNALS AND I STARTED ANOTHER APCH. MEANWHILE I TRIED EVERY MEANS TO VISUALLY SEE THE GEAR BUT DID NOT SEE IT. ONCE AGAIN, SAW THE GREEN, CAME TO LAND, BUT AT TOUCHDOWN HT STILL DID NOT FEEL THE GEAR CUSHION. I ADDED FULL PWR AGAIN NOTICING THAT THE TWR STILL BLINKED A GREEN LIGHT. KEEPING SAFETY IN MIND, I WENT AROUND, UP TO 1500 FT. I NOTICED FIRE TRUCKS, DADE COUNTY AVIATION PERSONNEL, TV CREWS, ETC RIGHT ON THE TXWY PARALLEL TO RWY 27R. I TOLD MY FRIENDS ON BOARD THAT I DID NOT FEEL THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED SO I WAS GOING TO BLOW THE GEAR DOWN WITH THE BOTTLE. CIRCLED TWICE, TWR WAS GETTING TFC IN AND OUT MEANWHILE. FINALLY TWR GAVE ME A GREEN SIGNAL AGAIN. I PULLED THE HYD CIRCUIT BREAKER OUT AND PULLED THE T-HANDLE TO BLOW THE GEAR DOWN WITH THE GEAR HANDLE SELECTED IN THE DOWN POS. NOW FELT THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. MADE THE APCH TO A SAFE LNDG. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE ADVISE THE TWR ON MY PREVIOUS NO GEAR APCHS FOR LNDG TO GIVE ME A RED LIGHT FOR UNSAFE UNDERCARRIAGE. THEY WERE ALL AT THE RWY IN COM WITH THE TWR. THANKS TO ALL MY SAFETY CONCERN AND TRAINING, OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER IF I WOULD HAVE JUST LANDED ON TWR ADVISORY LIGHTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE ACFT WAS A C414, CHANCELLOR. HE FELT THAT SINCE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE ON THE TXWY THAT SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE INFORMED THE TWR THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN, THEN TWR COULD HAVE GIVEN A RED LIGHT. HE SENT THE RPT SO THAT PERHAPS IN THE FUTURE SUCH A PROC COULD BE WORKED OUT.

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.