Narrative:

While on a training flight with a commercial pilot student, we were checking out the aircraft system to make sure the gear up warning horn and the stall horn were functioning properly. The reason for doing these checks shortly after we became airborne was this was the first flight of the aircraft after an annual inspection. We extended the landing gear getting a green light indicating gear down and locked. I visually checked the right main gear to confirm that it was down and locked and then asked my student to confirm left gear down and locked. He confirmed that it was not down and locked nor could he see if it was trailing from the wheel well. We recycled the gear and again got the same indications. We then tried to manually extend the gear according to the emergency procedures checklist with the same results as our prior attempts. I then contacted another flight instructor who was in the area and requested that she fly alongside and underneath us to confirm that the left gear was remaining in the wheel well and see if she could see what might be stopping it from extending. She did this and informed me that she could see the left gear start to move, but that it was remaining in the wheel well and she could not see what was holding it in place. We attempted numerous times both with power (approximately 30) and manually (approximately 12) to extend the gear while holding 70 des of bank in level flight without results. I then tried positive and negative 'G' maneuvers again with no results. We tried for just over 2 hours and then ATC advised that we not continue to cycle the gear on advice from the mechanics on the ground. At this point, we also received word from sea approach that our chief pilot from the flight school had requested us to return to thun field in pierce county and do a gear up landing in the grass. While en route to thun field in pierce county we discussed what I expected the student to do on touchdown. After waiting for emergency equipment to move into position, we advised area traffic of our intentions, opened the doors on downwind, shut off the avionics and beacon light at this time and flew a normal approach using 65 KIAS airspeed on final and 40 degrees of flaps. After extending the last of the flaps, we shut off the master switch. Once I got the aircraft in ground effect, I slowly reduced power holding a slightly tail low pitch attitude and the moment we made contact with the ground, I pulled the mixture and the student turned the fuel and ignition off. We exited the aircraft without injury and minimal damage to the aircraft. Malfunction of the left landing gear leading to an intentional gear up landing appeared to be caused by the left brake line getting caught on the lip of the gear bay. The brake line fitting was turned 180 degrees compared to the right brake line fitting, but due to the number of times the gear was cycled, it is impossible to tell if the fitting was in this position prior to the gear being retracted. After questioning our mechanic if this should have been caught during the preflight inspection, his reply was 'I don't think that I would have been able to tell by the position of the brake line that it would present a hazard.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 PLTS ON A C182RG TRAINING FLT CANNOT EXTEND THE L GEAR SO PLAN A GEAR UP EMER LNDG AT THEIR FLT SCHOOL ARPT AT 1S0, WA.

Narrative: WHILE ON A TRAINING FLT WITH A COMMERCIAL PLT STUDENT, WE WERE CHKING OUT THE ACFT SYS TO MAKE SURE THE GEAR UP WARNING HORN AND THE STALL HORN WERE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE REASON FOR DOING THESE CHKS SHORTLY AFTER WE BECAME AIRBORNE WAS THIS WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE ACFT AFTER AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. WE EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR GETTING A GREEN LIGHT INDICATING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. I VISUALLY CHKED THE R MAIN GEAR TO CONFIRM THAT IT WAS DOWN AND LOCKED AND THEN ASKED MY STUDENT TO CONFIRM L GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. HE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED NOR COULD HE SEE IF IT WAS TRAILING FROM THE WHEEL WELL. WE RECYCLED THE GEAR AND AGAIN GOT THE SAME INDICATIONS. WE THEN TRIED TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE GEAR ACCORDING TO THE EMER PROCS CHKLIST WITH THE SAME RESULTS AS OUR PRIOR ATTEMPTS. I THEN CONTACTED ANOTHER FLT INSTRUCTOR WHO WAS IN THE AREA AND REQUESTED THAT SHE FLY ALONGSIDE AND UNDERNEATH US TO CONFIRM THAT THE L GEAR WAS REMAINING IN THE WHEEL WELL AND SEE IF SHE COULD SEE WHAT MIGHT BE STOPPING IT FROM EXTENDING. SHE DID THIS AND INFORMED ME THAT SHE COULD SEE THE L GEAR START TO MOVE, BUT THAT IT WAS REMAINING IN THE WHEEL WELL AND SHE COULD NOT SEE WHAT WAS HOLDING IT IN PLACE. WE ATTEMPTED NUMEROUS TIMES BOTH WITH PWR (APPROX 30) AND MANUALLY (APPROX 12) TO EXTEND THE GEAR WHILE HOLDING 70 DES OF BANK IN LEVEL FLT WITHOUT RESULTS. I THEN TRIED POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE 'G' MANEUVERS AGAIN WITH NO RESULTS. WE TRIED FOR JUST OVER 2 HRS AND THEN ATC ADVISED THAT WE NOT CONTINUE TO CYCLE THE GEAR ON ADVICE FROM THE MECHS ON THE GND. AT THIS POINT, WE ALSO RECEIVED WORD FROM SEA APCH THAT OUR CHIEF PLT FROM THE FLT SCHOOL HAD REQUESTED US TO RETURN TO THUN FIELD IN PIERCE COUNTY AND DO A GEAR UP LNDG IN THE GRASS. WHILE ENRTE TO THUN FIELD IN PIERCE COUNTY WE DISCUSSED WHAT I EXPECTED THE STUDENT TO DO ON TOUCHDOWN. AFTER WAITING FOR EMER EQUIP TO MOVE INTO POS, WE ADVISED AREA TFC OF OUR INTENTIONS, OPENED THE DOORS ON DOWNWIND, SHUT OFF THE AVIONICS AND BEACON LIGHT AT THIS TIME AND FLEW A NORMAL APCH USING 65 KIAS AIRSPD ON FINAL AND 40 DEGS OF FLAPS. AFTER EXTENDING THE LAST OF THE FLAPS, WE SHUT OFF THE MASTER SWITCH. ONCE I GOT THE ACFT IN GND EFFECT, I SLOWLY REDUCED PWR HOLDING A SLIGHTLY TAIL LOW PITCH ATTITUDE AND THE MOMENT WE MADE CONTACT WITH THE GND, I PULLED THE MIXTURE AND THE STUDENT TURNED THE FUEL AND IGNITION OFF. WE EXITED THE ACFT WITHOUT INJURY AND MINIMAL DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. MALFUNCTION OF THE L LNDG GEAR LEADING TO AN INTENTIONAL GEAR UP LNDG APPEARED TO BE CAUSED BY THE L BRAKE LINE GETTING CAUGHT ON THE LIP OF THE GEAR BAY. THE BRAKE LINE FITTING WAS TURNED 180 DEGS COMPARED TO THE R BRAKE LINE FITTING, BUT DUE TO THE NUMBER OF TIMES THE GEAR WAS CYCLED, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL IF THE FITTING WAS IN THIS POS PRIOR TO THE GEAR BEING RETRACTED. AFTER QUESTIONING OUR MECH IF THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION, HIS REPLY WAS 'I DON'T THINK THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TELL BY THE POS OF THE BRAKE LINE THAT IT WOULD PRESENT A HAZARD.'

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.