Narrative:

While repositioning a beechcraft duke from ZZZ to dmn, I experienced an unlocked and inoperable nose landing gear. I first noticed a problem after leveling off at 6500 ft. The left engine nacelle has a fish eye mirror and I saw what appeared to be the nose gear not up and locked. I recycled the gear and got 2 greens (mains) and 1 red (nose unlocked). I tried cycling the gear several times with the gear handle and obtained the same results (nose gear would neither retract nor lock down). Then I tried to lock the nose gear using the emergency gear handle located behind the co-pilot's seat. This also did not affect the nose gear. As a last resort, I tried using inertia by pitching nose down and up also without lock. Approximately 15 mi from deming, I called unicom there and asked for a ground visual confirmation. I overflew the field but about that time an army national guard helicopter in the vicinity initiated communications with me. The crew rendezvoused with the beech duke and was able to confirm nose gear down and dangling or swiveling but not locked. They offered assistance and provided an extremely efficient and professional emergency management operation. Their knowledge and proficiency in declaring the emergency and coordinating all related activities was truly a blessing that I had not anticipated. This provided a much safer environment all around. By this time I had pretty much determined that a mechanic failure had occurred that was not fixable in the air. The next step was to review my options and select what I felt was optimal. I recalled what I teach my students about emergency sits. That is, the airplane is expendable and whatever procedure results in the least danger to aircraft occupants or ground persons should be employed. I thus made a normal approach with main gear down. Passing the threshold and descending into ground effect, I secured both engines pulling both mixtures to idle cut-off and also pulled both propellers into feather position. That is all I had time to do until the aircraft came to a stop. Apparently the propellers were still windmilling when I touched down and did not have enough time to feather. I held the yoke all the way back on rollout until my airspeed was too slow to hold the nose off. The nose and propellers contacted the runway and the aircraft slid smoothly on the centerline until it came to a complete stop. I then turned off the magnetos, completed the shutdown, and immediately exited the aircraft. Final critique: preflight -- I believe I did everything reasonable to assure that the aircraft was airworthy. I did inspect the nose gear and strut but I did not lay on the ground and look up the wheel well, because the duke's nose sits very low to the ground. Also, the plane responded normally to steering inputs on the ground with no indication of anything amiss. Braking was normal and no problems encountered on engine run-up. Pilot experience -- I feel I had more than adequate training, experience and currency to deal with the emergency. Not much else could be done under the circumstances. I believe my experience in a wide variety of aircraft made the approach and landing relatively uneventful. WX -- day VFR with a light wind straight down the runway. Cavu. Pilot -- alcohol not a factor. Fatigue not a factor. Stress not a factor. Medications not a factor. Environment positive. Army helo pilots and response team members were all very courteous, professional and thorough. I learned after the fact that in the previous landing by the owner of said aircraft that a tire was blown and possible heavy loads may have occurred when plane veered sharply to the left. This may be the cause of the mechanical failure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF ZZZ EXPERIENCES FAILURE OF NOSE GEAR RETRACTION EXTENSION MECHANISM. LANDS AT ZZZ UNDER EMER CONDITIONS.

Narrative: WHILE REPOSITIONING A BEECHCRAFT DUKE FROM ZZZ TO DMN, I EXPERIENCED AN UNLOCKED AND INOPERABLE NOSE LNDG GEAR. I FIRST NOTICED A PROB AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 6500 FT. THE L ENG NACELLE HAS A FISH EYE MIRROR AND I SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE NOSE GEAR NOT UP AND LOCKED. I RECYCLED THE GEAR AND GOT 2 GREENS (MAINS) AND 1 RED (NOSE UNLOCKED). I TRIED CYCLING THE GEAR SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE GEAR HANDLE AND OBTAINED THE SAME RESULTS (NOSE GEAR WOULD NEITHER RETRACT NOR LOCK DOWN). THEN I TRIED TO LOCK THE NOSE GEAR USING THE EMER GEAR HANDLE LOCATED BEHIND THE CO-PLT'S SEAT. THIS ALSO DID NOT AFFECT THE NOSE GEAR. AS A LAST RESORT, I TRIED USING INERTIA BY PITCHING NOSE DOWN AND UP ALSO WITHOUT LOCK. APPROX 15 MI FROM DEMING, I CALLED UNICOM THERE AND ASKED FOR A GND VISUAL CONFIRMATION. I OVERFLEW THE FIELD BUT ABOUT THAT TIME AN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD HELI IN THE VICINITY INITIATED COMS WITH ME. THE CREW RENDEZVOUSED WITH THE BEECH DUKE AND WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM NOSE GEAR DOWN AND DANGLING OR SWIVELING BUT NOT LOCKED. THEY OFFERED ASSISTANCE AND PROVIDED AN EXTREMELY EFFICIENT AND PROFESSIONAL EMER MGMNT OP. THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND PROFICIENCY IN DECLARING THE EMER AND COORDINATING ALL RELATED ACTIVITIES WAS TRULY A BLESSING THAT I HAD NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PROVIDED A MUCH SAFER ENVIRONMENT ALL AROUND. BY THIS TIME I HAD PRETTY MUCH DETERMINED THAT A MECH FAILURE HAD OCCURRED THAT WAS NOT FIXABLE IN THE AIR. THE NEXT STEP WAS TO REVIEW MY OPTIONS AND SELECT WHAT I FELT WAS OPTIMAL. I RECALLED WHAT I TEACH MY STUDENTS ABOUT EMER SITS. THAT IS, THE AIRPLANE IS EXPENDABLE AND WHATEVER PROC RESULTS IN THE LEAST DANGER TO ACFT OCCUPANTS OR GND PERSONS SHOULD BE EMPLOYED. I THUS MADE A NORMAL APCH WITH MAIN GEAR DOWN. PASSING THE THRESHOLD AND DSNDING INTO GND EFFECT, I SECURED BOTH ENGS PULLING BOTH MIXTURES TO IDLE CUT-OFF AND ALSO PULLED BOTH PROPS INTO FEATHER POS. THAT IS ALL I HAD TIME TO DO UNTIL THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP. APPARENTLY THE PROPS WERE STILL WINDMILLING WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN AND DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO FEATHER. I HELD THE YOKE ALL THE WAY BACK ON ROLLOUT UNTIL MY AIRSPD WAS TOO SLOW TO HOLD THE NOSE OFF. THE NOSE AND PROPS CONTACTED THE RWY AND THE ACFT SLID SMOOTHLY ON THE CTRLINE UNTIL IT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I THEN TURNED OFF THE MAGNETOS, COMPLETED THE SHUTDOWN, AND IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE ACFT. FINAL CRITIQUE: PREFLT -- I BELIEVE I DID EVERYTHING REASONABLE TO ASSURE THAT THE ACFT WAS AIRWORTHY. I DID INSPECT THE NOSE GEAR AND STRUT BUT I DID NOT LAY ON THE GND AND LOOK UP THE WHEEL WELL, BECAUSE THE DUKE'S NOSE SITS VERY LOW TO THE GND. ALSO, THE PLANE RESPONDED NORMALLY TO STEERING INPUTS ON THE GND WITH NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING AMISS. BRAKING WAS NORMAL AND NO PROBS ENCOUNTERED ON ENG RUN-UP. PLT EXPERIENCE -- I FEEL I HAD MORE THAN ADEQUATE TRAINING, EXPERIENCE AND CURRENCY TO DEAL WITH THE EMER. NOT MUCH ELSE COULD BE DONE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I BELIEVE MY EXPERIENCE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF ACFT MADE THE APCH AND LNDG RELATIVELY UNEVENTFUL. WX -- DAY VFR WITH A LIGHT WIND STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY. CAVU. PLT -- ALCOHOL NOT A FACTOR. FATIGUE NOT A FACTOR. STRESS NOT A FACTOR. MEDICATIONS NOT A FACTOR. ENVIRONMENT POSITIVE. ARMY HELO PLTS AND RESPONSE TEAM MEMBERS WERE ALL VERY COURTEOUS, PROFESSIONAL AND THOROUGH. I LEARNED AFTER THE FACT THAT IN THE PREVIOUS LNDG BY THE OWNER OF SAID ACFT THAT A TIRE WAS BLOWN AND POSSIBLE HVY LOADS MAY HAVE OCCURRED WHEN PLANE VEERED SHARPLY TO THE L. THIS MAY BE THE CAUSE OF THE MECHANICAL FAILURE.

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.