Narrative:

I departed sdl VFR from runway 21. I made a right turn and was handed off to phoenix departure control, to whom I had asked for and expected radar vectors for a VFR departure through their airspace. I asked them for a transponder code and was told that they would have a code for me momentarily. At this time, I noticed that I had a gear in-transit light still on (which means that my landing gear has not properly retracted). Additionally, the 'hydraulic pressure on' light was illuminated on my annunciator panel. I knew from the school I attended on the airplane that this was a potential emergency situation that needed to be resolved very quickly, so I reached behind the copilot's seat and obtained the emergency checklist. I fumbled the checklist and it fell to the floor on the copilot's side (I was alone in the airplane). I had to take off my seat belt and shoulder harness, and my headset (because the cord is not long enough to stretch that far over) in order to pick it up. While I was looking up the correct emergency procedure, departure called again and gave me a beacon code and a heading and altitude. I thought that I could work out the problem with the gear, and proceeded on course. It soon became apparent that I was wrong. I began to smell something burning, and had a 'hydraulic flow low' light illuminate. I knew that the most probable cause for this fact pattern was a hydraulic leak in the nose compartment. I informed departure that I had a bad situation and needed an immediate return to sdl. I was given vectors and altitude assignments for a return to sdl. I did a downwind flyby for sdl tower to observe the gear, and landed without further incident. Upon inspection at the FBO, it was found that the nose fender had become twisted in the nose compartment upon retraction, which prevented the gear from becoming locked in place. The hydraulic pump continued to pump until the sight gauge in the nose compartment burned through, thus pumping out the hydraulic fluid into the nose cavity. Once on the ground back at sdl, I contacted the deer valley tower as requested. I was informed that they thought that I had possibly transitioned their airspace without contacting them. In retrospect, I think that I should also have declared an emergency earlier in the process and asked ATC then for airspace protection and vectors back to sdl. Knowing what I know now, I wish that I could replay the entire incident. I am sure the results would have been uneventful. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the nose gear fender bracket broke just above the attachment point. The fender then seems to have twisted which prevented the nose gear from retracting. As the gear retraction process was incomplete the hydraulic pump continued to run. A continuously operating hydraulic system became overheated melting the plastic hydraulic reservoir quantity sight gauge which allowed the hot fluid to be pumped into the nose gear well. After returning to the maintenance facility the pilot was told that the nose gear fender was known to occasionally fail in the same manner.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CESSNA CONQUEST PLT EXPERIENCED LNDG GEAR RETRACTION FAILURE. HYD QUANTITY LOSS, HYD FLUID OVERHEAT AND ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC RETURNING TO SDL.

Narrative: I DEPARTED SDL VFR FROM RWY 21. I MADE A R TURN AND WAS HANDED OFF TO PHOENIX DEP CTL, TO WHOM I HAD ASKED FOR AND EXPECTED RADAR VECTORS FOR A VFR DEP THROUGH THEIR AIRSPACE. I ASKED THEM FOR A XPONDER CODE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD HAVE A CODE FOR ME MOMENTARILY. AT THIS TIME, I NOTICED THAT I HAD A GEAR IN-TRANSIT LIGHT STILL ON (WHICH MEANS THAT MY LNDG GEAR HAS NOT PROPERLY RETRACTED). ADDITIONALLY, THE 'HYD PRESSURE ON' LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON MY ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. I KNEW FROM THE SCHOOL I ATTENDED ON THE AIRPLANE THAT THIS WAS A POTENTIAL EMER SIT THAT NEEDED TO BE RESOLVED VERY QUICKLY, SO I REACHED BEHIND THE COPLT'S SEAT AND OBTAINED THE EMER CHKLIST. I FUMBLED THE CHKLIST AND IT FELL TO THE FLOOR ON THE COPLT'S SIDE (I WAS ALONE IN THE AIRPLANE). I HAD TO TAKE OFF MY SEAT BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS, AND MY HEADSET (BECAUSE THE CORD IS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO STRETCH THAT FAR OVER) IN ORDER TO PICK IT UP. WHILE I WAS LOOKING UP THE CORRECT EMER PROC, DEP CALLED AGAIN AND GAVE ME A BEACON CODE AND A HEADING AND ALT. I THOUGHT THAT I COULD WORK OUT THE PROB WITH THE GEAR, AND PROCEEDED ON COURSE. IT SOON BECAME APPARENT THAT I WAS WRONG. I BEGAN TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING, AND HAD A 'HYD FLOW LOW' LIGHT ILLUMINATE. I KNEW THAT THE MOST PROBABLE CAUSE FOR THIS FACT PATTERN WAS A HYD LEAK IN THE NOSE COMPARTMENT. I INFORMED DEP THAT I HAD A BAD SIT AND NEEDED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO SDL. I WAS GIVEN VECTORS AND ALT ASSIGNMENTS FOR A RETURN TO SDL. I DID A DOWNWIND FLYBY FOR SDL TWR TO OBSERVE THE GEAR, AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. UPON INSPECTION AT THE FBO, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE NOSE FENDER HAD BECOME TWISTED IN THE NOSE COMPARTMENT UPON RETRACTION, WHICH PREVENTED THE GEAR FROM BECOMING LOCKED IN PLACE. THE HYD PUMP CONTINUED TO PUMP UNTIL THE SIGHT GAUGE IN THE NOSE COMPARTMENT BURNED THROUGH, THUS PUMPING OUT THE HYD FLUID INTO THE NOSE CAVITY. ONCE ON THE GND BACK AT SDL, I CONTACTED THE DEER VALLEY TWR AS REQUESTED. I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT I HAD POSSIBLY TRANSITIONED THEIR AIRSPACE WITHOUT CONTACTING THEM. IN RETROSPECT, I THINK THAT I SHOULD ALSO HAVE DECLARED AN EMER EARLIER IN THE PROCESS AND ASKED ATC THEN FOR AIRSPACE PROTECTION AND VECTORS BACK TO SDL. KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW, I WISH THAT I COULD REPLAY THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. I AM SURE THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN UNEVENTFUL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE NOSE GEAR FENDER BRACKET BROKE JUST ABOVE THE ATTACHMENT POINT. THE FENDER THEN SEEMS TO HAVE TWISTED WHICH PREVENTED THE NOSE GEAR FROM RETRACTING. AS THE GEAR RETRACTION PROCESS WAS INCOMPLETE THE HYD PUMP CONTINUED TO RUN. A CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING HYD SYS BECAME OVERHEATED MELTING THE PLASTIC HYD RESERVOIR QUANTITY SIGHT GAUGE WHICH ALLOWED THE HOT FLUID TO BE PUMPED INTO THE NOSE GEAR WELL. AFTER RETURNING TO THE MAINT FACILITY THE PLT WAS TOLD THAT THE NOSE GEAR FENDER WAS KNOWN TO OCCASIONALLY FAIL IN THE SAME MANNER.

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.