Narrative:

We were repositioning the king air to teb to pick up one of the owners; and an employee. I extended the landing gear on the ILS 6 to teb and noticed the left main gear light was flickering slightly. I conducted a missed approach and got an approach vector to analyze and discuss the situation with my copilot. I cycled the gear; used the emergency extension system to verify the gear was down (it was); and the teb tower had said it appeared down as we went around. I made the decision to divert to swf for 2 reasons: 1) if we were going to have a problem with the gear upon landing; I did not want force the closure of the busiest GA airport in the USA. 2) stewart AFB has all the necessary rescue gear and personnel to deal with this sort of problem and also has maintenance available. I called the FBO while en route to verify maintenance availability; and called the tower in advance to apprise them of our situation and to request rescue equipment be standing by. We chose a runway with a light right crosswind so we could land on the right main wheel first; and proceeded to land the airplane. Upon touchdown of the left main gear; the left gear indicator light went steady green. We taxied to the FBO and talked to the director of maintenance. The man advised that he did not have jacks to jack the king air but that the company had previously operated a king air; and that he had king air experience. He then offered to visually assess the gear. He did so with the copilot watching and then told me that the gear locks were in place; the gear was down locked and safe; and that it must have been an indicator anomaly. He said he felt the aircraft was safe to fly and he would fly it. We then based on his advice; refueled; and flew back to teb with the gear down; and watched for but saw no more flickering of the light. We then flew home; used the gear and saw no further problems. We had our maintenance look at the gear and they found an intermittent break in a wire which apparently caused the flickering. I genuinely feel I made safe; professional decisions dealing with the event; and that taking the advice of the director of maintenance was sufficient approval to fly the airplane. The director said he was not going to even bill me and I felt he had done me a huge favor and did not want to badger him for a logbook sticker and instead gave him a tip. The local FSDO contacted my cell voice mail the next morning; and I returned the call to his voice mail. I became concerned there may be a problem with their perception of the resolution of the problem and I called the director of maintenance on his cell phone (he had given me his card and written his cell number on it). I asked him if he would send me a logbook sticker attesting to his service and to my horror; he said the FAA had contacted him the day before and he told them he never looked at a king air; was out to lunch; and all he knew was we got fuel and took off! It was the most blatant lie I've ever heard and he had no explanation for why he lied. He just said he knew nothing and gave me some bogus things to say to the FAA. I'm still working through this and have no idea how it will resolve. I've gotten advice and am working on ways to prove the man lied. I absolutely would not have flown the airplane had a maintenance person not looked at and approved it for flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF BE10 FAILS TO GET DOCUMENTATION OF MAINT INSPECTION OF THE LNDG GEAR AFTER AN INDICATOR ANOMALY.

Narrative: WE WERE REPOSITIONING THE KING AIR TO TEB TO PICK UP ONE OF THE OWNERS; AND AN EMPLOYEE. I EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR ON THE ILS 6 TO TEB AND NOTICED THE L MAIN GEAR LIGHT WAS FLICKERING SLIGHTLY. I CONDUCTED A MISSED APCH AND GOT AN APCH VECTOR TO ANALYZE AND DISCUSS THE SITUATION WITH MY COPLT. I CYCLED THE GEAR; USED THE EMER EXTENSION SYS TO VERIFY THE GEAR WAS DOWN (IT WAS); AND THE TEB TWR HAD SAID IT APPEARED DOWN AS WE WENT AROUND. I MADE THE DECISION TO DIVERT TO SWF FOR 2 REASONS: 1) IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A PROB WITH THE GEAR UPON LNDG; I DID NOT WANT FORCE THE CLOSURE OF THE BUSIEST GA ARPT IN THE USA. 2) STEWART AFB HAS ALL THE NECESSARY RESCUE GEAR AND PERSONNEL TO DEAL WITH THIS SORT OF PROB AND ALSO HAS MAINT AVAILABLE. I CALLED THE FBO WHILE ENRTE TO VERIFY MAINT AVAILABILITY; AND CALLED THE TWR IN ADVANCE TO APPRISE THEM OF OUR SITUATION AND TO REQUEST RESCUE EQUIP BE STANDING BY. WE CHOSE A RWY WITH A LIGHT R XWIND SO WE COULD LAND ON THE R MAIN WHEEL FIRST; AND PROCEEDED TO LAND THE AIRPLANE. UPON TOUCHDOWN OF THE L MAIN GEAR; THE L GEAR INDICATOR LIGHT WENT STEADY GREEN. WE TAXIED TO THE FBO AND TALKED TO THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT. THE MAN ADVISED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE JACKS TO JACK THE KING AIR BUT THAT THE COMPANY HAD PREVIOUSLY OPERATED A KING AIR; AND THAT HE HAD KING AIR EXPERIENCE. HE THEN OFFERED TO VISUALLY ASSESS THE GEAR. HE DID SO WITH THE COPLT WATCHING AND THEN TOLD ME THAT THE GEAR LOCKS WERE IN PLACE; THE GEAR WAS DOWN LOCKED AND SAFE; AND THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN INDICATOR ANOMALY. HE SAID HE FELT THE ACFT WAS SAFE TO FLY AND HE WOULD FLY IT. WE THEN BASED ON HIS ADVICE; REFUELED; AND FLEW BACK TO TEB WITH THE GEAR DOWN; AND WATCHED FOR BUT SAW NO MORE FLICKERING OF THE LIGHT. WE THEN FLEW HOME; USED THE GEAR AND SAW NO FURTHER PROBS. WE HAD OUR MAINT LOOK AT THE GEAR AND THEY FOUND AN INTERMITTENT BREAK IN A WIRE WHICH APPARENTLY CAUSED THE FLICKERING. I GENUINELY FEEL I MADE SAFE; PROFESSIONAL DECISIONS DEALING WITH THE EVENT; AND THAT TAKING THE ADVICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT WAS SUFFICIENT APPROVAL TO FLY THE AIRPLANE. THE DIRECTOR SAID HE WAS NOT GOING TO EVEN BILL ME AND I FELT HE HAD DONE ME A HUGE FAVOR AND DID NOT WANT TO BADGER HIM FOR A LOGBOOK STICKER AND INSTEAD GAVE HIM A TIP. THE LCL FSDO CONTACTED MY CELL VOICE MAIL THE NEXT MORNING; AND I RETURNED THE CALL TO HIS VOICE MAIL. I BECAME CONCERNED THERE MAY BE A PROB WITH THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE PROB AND I CALLED THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT ON HIS CELL PHONE (HE HAD GIVEN ME HIS CARD AND WRITTEN HIS CELL NUMBER ON IT). I ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD SEND ME A LOGBOOK STICKER ATTESTING TO HIS SVC AND TO MY HORROR; HE SAID THE FAA HAD CONTACTED HIM THE DAY BEFORE AND HE TOLD THEM HE NEVER LOOKED AT A KING AIR; WAS OUT TO LUNCH; AND ALL HE KNEW WAS WE GOT FUEL AND TOOK OFF! IT WAS THE MOST BLATANT LIE I'VE EVER HEARD AND HE HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR WHY HE LIED. HE JUST SAID HE KNEW NOTHING AND GAVE ME SOME BOGUS THINGS TO SAY TO THE FAA. I'M STILL WORKING THROUGH THIS AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT WILL RESOLVE. I'VE GOTTEN ADVICE AND AM WORKING ON WAYS TO PROVE THE MAN LIED. I ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN THE AIRPLANE HAD A MAINT PERSON NOT LOOKED AT AND APPROVED IT FOR FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.