Narrative:

I am a captain flying beechcraft 1900's for a regional part 121 carrier. My first officer and I had noticed that occasionally the red in-transit lights in the landing gear handle would momentarily illuminate during light turbulence. We discussed our belief that the lights may eventually come on and stay on, potentially causing us to have to consider that we had an unsafe gear condition for landing. Therefore, we called the maintenance controller for our airline who said that the flickering of the in-transit lights was a common occurrence and that it was nothing to be concerned about because it was the gear moving around in the wheel wells due to the turbulence. The maintenance controller told me that he had talked to the chief pilot, who had informed him that he had seen the problem before, that it was not an issue, and that I should get going on my trip. My first officer and I completed the next leg without incident. On the next leg, however, the in-transit lights illuminated for several seconds during flight in smooth air. The next time we pulled up the gear after takeoff, the in-transit lights stayed illuminated. We called dispatch. I repeated the problem that the red in-transit lights had not extinguished after takeoff, that I had no green gear lights, and no other indications. The first question agent relayed was whether I had cycled the gear, and I replied that I had not, that I wanted to get maintenance control's recommendation first. I was told that they were discussing my declaring an emergency and to where I should divert. Meanwhile, they asked me to go to full flaps, as selecting full flaps while the gear is not down will sound a horn. I told them I got the horn, as well as the warning horn for pulling the power back to idle while the gear is not extended. They told me to declare an emergency, divert and to manually extend the gear once I got there. I declared an emergency with ZBW. Once we were handed over to approach, we told them that we were requesting vectors so that we could complete the manual gear extension. I extended the gear and we got 3 green and locked. I then took the controls to execute the landing. We then were approved for a low approach and tower said they could see 3 gear extended. I came back around for landing, stopped on the runway and deplaned the passenger, and then had the airplane towed off the runway.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECHCRAFT 1900 DISPLAYS INTERMITTENT GEAR IN TRANSIT LIGHT WITH GEAR UP.

Narrative: I AM A CAPT FLYING BEECHCRAFT 1900'S FOR A REGIONAL PART 121 CARRIER. MY FO AND I HAD NOTICED THAT OCCASIONALLY THE RED IN-TRANSIT LIGHTS IN THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE WOULD MOMENTARILY ILLUMINATE DURING LIGHT TURB. WE DISCUSSED OUR BELIEF THAT THE LIGHTS MAY EVENTUALLY COME ON AND STAY ON, POTENTIALLY CAUSING US TO HAVE TO CONSIDER THAT WE HAD AN UNSAFE GEAR CONDITION FOR LNDG. THEREFORE, WE CALLED THE MAINT CTLR FOR OUR AIRLINE WHO SAID THAT THE FLICKERING OF THE IN-TRANSIT LIGHTS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AND THAT IT WAS NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BECAUSE IT WAS THE GEAR MOVING AROUND IN THE WHEEL WELLS DUE TO THE TURB. THE MAINT CTLR TOLD ME THAT HE HAD TALKED TO THE CHIEF PLT, WHO HAD INFORMED HIM THAT HE HAD SEEN THE PROB BEFORE, THAT IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE, AND THAT I SHOULD GET GOING ON MY TRIP. MY FO AND I COMPLETED THE NEXT LEG WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON THE NEXT LEG, HOWEVER, THE IN-TRANSIT LIGHTS ILLUMINATED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS DURING FLT IN SMOOTH AIR. THE NEXT TIME WE PULLED UP THE GEAR AFTER TKOF, THE IN-TRANSIT LIGHTS STAYED ILLUMINATED. WE CALLED DISPATCH. I REPEATED THE PROB THAT THE RED IN-TRANSIT LIGHTS HAD NOT EXTINGUISHED AFTER TKOF, THAT I HAD NO GREEN GEAR LIGHTS, AND NO OTHER INDICATIONS. THE FIRST QUESTION AGENT RELAYED WAS WHETHER I HAD CYCLED THE GEAR, AND I REPLIED THAT I HAD NOT, THAT I WANTED TO GET MAINT CTL'S RECOMMENDATION FIRST. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE DISCUSSING MY DECLARING AN EMER AND TO WHERE I SHOULD DIVERT. MEANWHILE, THEY ASKED ME TO GO TO FULL FLAPS, AS SELECTING FULL FLAPS WHILE THE GEAR IS NOT DOWN WILL SOUND A HORN. I TOLD THEM I GOT THE HORN, AS WELL AS THE WARNING HORN FOR PULLING THE PWR BACK TO IDLE WHILE THE GEAR IS NOT EXTENDED. THEY TOLD ME TO DECLARE AN EMER, DIVERT AND TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE GEAR ONCE I GOT THERE. I DECLARED AN EMER WITH ZBW. ONCE WE WERE HANDED OVER TO APCH, WE TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE REQUESTING VECTORS SO THAT WE COULD COMPLETE THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION. I EXTENDED THE GEAR AND WE GOT 3 GREEN AND LOCKED. I THEN TOOK THE CTLS TO EXECUTE THE LNDG. WE THEN WERE APPROVED FOR A LOW APCH AND TWR SAID THEY COULD SEE 3 GEAR EXTENDED. I CAME BACK AROUND FOR LNDG, STOPPED ON THE RWY AND DEPLANED THE PAX, AND THEN HAD THE AIRPLANE TOWED OFF THE RWY.

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.