Narrative:

During approach to the twin falls airport, landing gear lever was selected down as part of a normal approach procedure and in accordance with company SOP. The gear failed to come down accompanied by 6 red disagreement lights on the instrument panel. We discontinued the approach while in VMC conditions, requested and received a VFR-on-top clearance, and proceeded to take care of the gear indication problem. After notifying the tower we had a 'gear indication problem' the controller asked for fuel remaining and number of souls on board. At no time was an emergency declared. The QRH procedure for this particular problem requires cycling the gear handle until the correct light sequence is observed. After 4 or 5 attempts the landing gear came down and a normal 'gear down' indication was observed. The tower was advised that the gear was down and we received a clearance for an ILS approach. The approach ended in a normal landing. Upon landing, we found that the tower controller had of his own volition called the emergency equipment to be standing by. After deplaning, we had the aircraft deiced because the problem we encountered happens relatively often enough to be common during winter operations. During taxi in snowy conditions, it's fairly common to splash snow and slush up into the gear retraction area. Subsequent flight in the flight levels often freezes the slush and water and causes problems when it comes time to put the gear down. This has happened to be numerous times in the 7 yrs I've been flying this type aircraft. Calls to maintenance about this problem result in the same answer, 'it's probably just ice. Spray it good and you're probably ok to go.' my time and experience in the aircraft convinced me that this was our problem. We cleaned the aircraft up with deice fluid, paying special attention to the landing gear. We then proceeded with our scheduled flight back to slc. In slc the gear did the same thing, but only required cycling the handle once to get it down. Because of the second occurrence, I wrote the airplane up and it was taken for maintenance even though I believe it was still a problem with fluid freezing the gear doors. To the best of my knowledge, maintenance found nothing wrong with the gear and returned the plane to service. After discussions with our flight standards people, I elected to file this report for the following reasons. Even though no emergency existed, the fact that the tower controller called the trucks might generate some paperwork that ends up in our local FSDO. The subsequent flight from twf to slc without the blessing of our maintenance people could be misconstrued by the FAA as being a problem. The fact that maintenance discovered nothing wrong with the airplane supports my conviction that the trouble we experienced was due to the freezing of the water and slush that was splashed into the gear compartments during our taxi for departure from slc. I believe my experience and time in the aircraft enabled me to correctly identify the problem and deal with it correctly. I've had this particular problem many times in the past and have always been able to take care of it without incidence. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter filed the report mainly because the tower local controller declared an emergency for the flight crew. Reporter did not feel it was an emergency as this has happened to him several times before this event. When he extended the landing gear he would look for 6 instrument indications to show landing gear down and locked. Nothing would change as the landing gear handle was placed down. No indications of gear in transit or that anything was happening. Finally, after 4 or 5 attempts, the gear extended. Reporter says this type of incident happens to him once per winter season. He also stated that he knows of other flcs that extend the landing gear shortly after takeoff to break any ice that may be forming. He has never done this as it is not in the air carrier procedure to do this. Reporter was concerned about the tower declaring an emergency for him and he had not written anything up in the logbook until he got to final destination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMB120 ON APCH TO TWF IS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR UNTIL THE LNDG GEAR EXTENSION HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED 4 OR 5 TIMES. ONCE THE LNDG GEAR EXTENDS, EVERYTHING WORKS NORMALLY AND SAFELY.

Narrative: DURING APCH TO THE TWIN FALLS ARPT, LNDG GEAR LEVER WAS SELECTED DOWN AS PART OF A NORMAL APCH PROC AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY SOP. THE GEAR FAILED TO COME DOWN ACCOMPANIED BY 6 RED DISAGREEMENT LIGHTS ON THE INST PANEL. WE DISCONTINUED THE APCH WHILE IN VMC CONDITIONS, REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A VFR-ON-TOP CLRNC, AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE CARE OF THE GEAR INDICATION PROB. AFTER NOTIFYING THE TWR WE HAD A 'GEAR INDICATION PROB' THE CTLR ASKED FOR FUEL REMAINING AND NUMBER OF SOULS ON BOARD. AT NO TIME WAS AN EMER DECLARED. THE QRH PROC FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROB REQUIRES CYCLING THE GEAR HANDLE UNTIL THE CORRECT LIGHT SEQUENCE IS OBSERVED. AFTER 4 OR 5 ATTEMPTS THE LNDG GEAR CAME DOWN AND A NORMAL 'GEAR DOWN' INDICATION WAS OBSERVED. THE TWR WAS ADVISED THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND WE RECEIVED A CLRNC FOR AN ILS APCH. THE APCH ENDED IN A NORMAL LNDG. UPON LNDG, WE FOUND THAT THE TWR CTLR HAD OF HIS OWN VOLITION CALLED THE EMER EQUIP TO BE STANDING BY. AFTER DEPLANING, WE HAD THE ACFT DEICED BECAUSE THE PROB WE ENCOUNTERED HAPPENS RELATIVELY OFTEN ENOUGH TO BE COMMON DURING WINTER OPS. DURING TAXI IN SNOWY CONDITIONS, IT'S FAIRLY COMMON TO SPLASH SNOW AND SLUSH UP INTO THE GEAR RETRACTION AREA. SUBSEQUENT FLT IN THE FLT LEVELS OFTEN FREEZES THE SLUSH AND WATER AND CAUSES PROBS WHEN IT COMES TIME TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO BE NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE 7 YRS I'VE BEEN FLYING THIS TYPE ACFT. CALLS TO MAINT ABOUT THIS PROB RESULT IN THE SAME ANSWER, 'IT'S PROBABLY JUST ICE. SPRAY IT GOOD AND YOU'RE PROBABLY OK TO GO.' MY TIME AND EXPERIENCE IN THE ACFT CONVINCED ME THAT THIS WAS OUR PROB. WE CLEANED THE ACFT UP WITH DEICE FLUID, PAYING SPECIAL ATTN TO THE LNDG GEAR. WE THEN PROCEEDED WITH OUR SCHEDULED FLT BACK TO SLC. IN SLC THE GEAR DID THE SAME THING, BUT ONLY REQUIRED CYCLING THE HANDLE ONCE TO GET IT DOWN. BECAUSE OF THE SECOND OCCURRENCE, I WROTE THE AIRPLANE UP AND IT WAS TAKEN FOR MAINT EVEN THOUGH I BELIEVE IT WAS STILL A PROB WITH FLUID FREEZING THE GEAR DOORS. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, MAINT FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE GEAR AND RETURNED THE PLANE TO SVC. AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR FLT STANDARDS PEOPLE, I ELECTED TO FILE THIS RPT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. EVEN THOUGH NO EMER EXISTED, THE FACT THAT THE TWR CTLR CALLED THE TRUCKS MIGHT GENERATE SOME PAPERWORK THAT ENDS UP IN OUR LCL FSDO. THE SUBSEQUENT FLT FROM TWF TO SLC WITHOUT THE BLESSING OF OUR MAINT PEOPLE COULD BE MISCONSTRUED BY THE FAA AS BEING A PROB. THE FACT THAT MAINT DISCOVERED NOTHING WRONG WITH THE AIRPLANE SUPPORTS MY CONVICTION THAT THE TROUBLE WE EXPERIENCED WAS DUE TO THE FREEZING OF THE WATER AND SLUSH THAT WAS SPLASHED INTO THE GEAR COMPARTMENTS DURING OUR TAXI FOR DEP FROM SLC. I BELIEVE MY EXPERIENCE AND TIME IN THE ACFT ENABLED ME TO CORRECTLY IDENT THE PROB AND DEAL WITH IT CORRECTLY. I'VE HAD THIS PARTICULAR PROB MANY TIMES IN THE PAST AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF IT WITHOUT INCIDENCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FILED THE RPT MAINLY BECAUSE THE TWR LCL CTLR DECLARED AN EMER FOR THE FLC. RPTR DID NOT FEEL IT WAS AN EMER AS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO HIM SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THIS EVENT. WHEN HE EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR HE WOULD LOOK FOR 6 INST INDICATIONS TO SHOW LNDG GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. NOTHING WOULD CHANGE AS THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE WAS PLACED DOWN. NO INDICATIONS OF GEAR IN TRANSIT OR THAT ANYTHING WAS HAPPENING. FINALLY, AFTER 4 OR 5 ATTEMPTS, THE GEAR EXTENDED. RPTR SAYS THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT HAPPENS TO HIM ONCE PER WINTER SEASON. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE KNOWS OF OTHER FLCS THAT EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR SHORTLY AFTER TKOF TO BREAK ANY ICE THAT MAY BE FORMING. HE HAS NEVER DONE THIS AS IT IS NOT IN THE ACR PROC TO DO THIS. RPTR WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE TWR DECLARING AN EMER FOR HIM AND HE HAD NOT WRITTEN ANYTHING UP IN THE LOGBOOK UNTIL HE GOT TO FINAL DEST.

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.