This #^(!@* rating is cursed ...

pilot602

pilot602

If specified, this will replace the title that
Well, I flew three times this past week (twice this weekend) and yesterday as I'm going around to do my final practice approach for the day I notice my gear up light isn't illuminated. This means one, all or any combination of the gear is stuck in the down position or the gear-up light is burned out.

So I bring the handle up, it kicks back to the nuetral position and no light. I cylce the gear down and get three green - which is very good. So I bring them up again and yet again no light. So at this point I decide to call it a day and head back to base. I switch out one of the green bulbs to see if the amber has burned out and still a no-go. So we get back to our field and I ask for a fly by (I can tell the nose gear is up with the mirror but I can't see the mains).

I explain to the tower what's going on and they confirm that the left main is down while the nose and right main are up. As my CFII said "the lights don't lie."

So we roll around get the gear down (and three green) and land.

My CFII had called the DE the previous day to re-schedule (for the third time) my IA checkride and of course the aircraft now, again, needs to go to the shop.

This rating is cursed.

Hopefully it's just low hydraulic fluid or air in the line. We had the nose gear get stuck down once before and it was low/dirty hydraulic fluid and some air in the systme that was the culprit. If it's the power pack, however, we're in for a big-assed bill.
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(edited for clarification)
 
Nah, the gear was stuck down. The left main wouldn't come up. I'll take stuck down gear anytime. Stuck up (aside from the attitude problem ... bad joke) is bad news.

But had they been stuck up I would have tried the back up pump (my hand) and had that failed we have a CO2 sytem to fire the gear down - gotta make sure it's selected down though!
 
Ohh, I see...I read your post again. You were able to get the gear down and locked but not retract them. Got ya..
 
[ QUOTE ]
I cylce the gear down and get three green - which is very good. So I bring them up again...
(edited for clarification)

[/ QUOTE ]
shocked.gif


I'm glad to hear things turned out well. I too have had problems with gear not coming up correctly, in everything from single props to jets.

I would like to make a strong recommendation for anyone in a similar situation. First, before doing ANYTHING, consult your Emergency Checklist/AFM(POH). Once you have "3 green," after a problem, NEVER put them back up. If something happened to the system in the initial retraction and you're lucky enough to get them extended, Don't undo a good thing. You may not be able to get them back down...again. Or worse, you re-retract a damaged tire/wheel which could damage other electrical or hydraulic lines which run through that gear well. Then you have multiple failures.

Flying home with the gear down may not look cool, but it sure beats scratching paint.


Good luck on your ride!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I would like to make a strong recommendation for anyone in a similar situation. First, before doing ANYTHING, consult your Emergency Checklist/AFM(POH).

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah on second thought it would have been better to probably just leave them down which is what I did the first time I encountered this situation a few months back. That time, however, I had visual confirmation that the nose gear was the culprit. This time I didn't know which, if any, were truly stuck down. Although I suppose it doesn't really matter once I had the three green I probably should have just kept it.
 
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