Gear Up Emergency Landing PA-24-250

gdwindowpane

gdwindowpane

Pre-takeoff checklist
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How does this happen?

On final approach to the runway he attempted to extend the landing gear. It appears that when the gear actuated it somehow got caught up in the mixture control which shut off the fuel to the engine and jammed the landing gear.

PPL and CFI walked away after landing in a soccer field complex.
 
Do you have a link to the story or NTSB report?

This must mean that something in the nose gear actuating mechanism got tied up with the mixture cable in the engine compartment, as unlikely as that seems. I can't see a way for the emergency gear lever (which on the Comanche does move in the cockpit with normal extension and retraction) to interfere with the actual mixture knob.

I can see this being a rather difficult thing to troubleshoot on final - you lower the gear and the engine quits, AND the gear doesn't extend. Not exactly a scenario you've ever practiced.

Good on them for maintaining control and walking away.
 
Just happened yesterday. CFI posted it. I haven't talked to him other than via text. I think it was indeed in the engine compartment not the actual mixture knob.

He was training the new owner on complex/hp operation in a recently purchased airplane.
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Extending the gear would require pushing the Johnson bar forward. If a hand slipped or something like that, it would tend to push in any engine controls. The emergency gear extension only disconnects the mechanical jack screw under the floor boards between the seats, requiring the gear be extended by a collapsible Johnson bar, just like a Mooney. The rest of the system operates as it would if it were driven by the jack screw.

Not saying it's not possible, but it would likely be unrelated to an emergency extension.
 
How much you wanna bet those conduits haven't been replaced since lock haven put them there, let alone this century. Tranny finally gave up the ghost and said no más, time to get a Bo. (I keed I keed).

Dollars to donuts AD 77-13-21 part A on these things has been whipped harder than a donkey at a border crossing. These 250s are becoming throaways. Good value for those with the time and temperance to fiddle with it. Too much of hassle for what's it worth, for those who don't. Theres other ways to go 150. Good news on these folks walking away (presumably uninjured). Hope the student and CFI don't exit the hobby over it. We need the numbers.
 
Or it could be they didn't slow enough and got flustered. Air pressure beneath the wing holds the wheels up in the wells above 100mph or so. You have to slow it for the gear to come down on it's own. A new owner and an unfamiliar CFI wouldn't know that, as normal extension speed is 135 kts.
What happened to the mixture is open to question. The cable doesn't route anywhere near the nose gear linkage.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Or it could be they didn't slow enough and got flustered. Air pressure beneath the wing holds the wheels up in the wells above 100mph or so. You have to slow it for the gear to come down on it's own. A new owner and an unfamiliar CFI wouldn't know that, as normal extension speed is 135 kts.
What happened to the mixture is open to question. The cable doesn't route anywhere near the nose gear linkage.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't the POH state that?
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Or it could be they didn't slow enough and got flustered. Air pressure beneath the wing holds the wheels up in the wells above 100mph or so. You have to slow it for the gear to come down on it's own. A new owner and an unfamiliar CFI wouldn't know that, as normal extension speed is 135 kts.
What happened to the mixture is open to question. The cable doesn't route anywhere near the nose gear linkage.
Click to expand...

There was no indication in the OP that this occurred during an emergency extension.

But I do not understand your comment "you have to slow it for the gear to come down on it's own". Now, I've never actually done the emergency extension on a Comanche (due to the required maintenance action afterwards making it hard to train on), but as far as I understand it, the emergency extension lever is what does the lowering - it doesn't just fall down on its own, like the Arrow.
 
RussR said:
There was no indication in the OP that this occurred during an emergency extension.

But I do not understand your comment "you have to slow it for the gear to come down on it's own". Now, I've never actually done the emergency extension on a Comanche (due to the required maintenance action afterwards making it hard to train on), but as far as I understand it, the emergency extension lever is what does the lowering - it doesn't just fall down on its own, like the Arrow.
Click to expand...

The gear drops by gravity, with "armstrong" assistance using the bar, and some help from bungees. The air pressure below the wing holds the wheels up in the well, making it very difficult to lower manually over 100 mph. More than one new Comanche pilot has flown around thinking the gear was stuck only to find it comes down easily below 100 mph. Up on jacks, the gear indeed does fall on it's own, so hard you need to need to use the Johnson bar to slow it or risk cracking the trunions. Think of the Johnson bar as a "gravity assist". As important as getting the gear down is to hold the johnson bar up while landing to help prevent the gear folding up on you if the overlock is out of adjustment. Land straight, don't put a side load on it when the conduits are disconnected!

BTW, the "required mx action" of reconnecting the transmission takes about 5 mins up on jacks. If you're flying a PA 24, you really need to do an emergency extension at annual when already on the jacks.
 
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This is close to me and I never heard anything on the news. Glad they got out ok. Made best of bad situation it appears. We can all hope for that!
 
The $60K slide.

my guess is his mixture cable was not secured and got hung up in the nose gear mechanism.

Check under the cowling for cable rubs..... should be a self imposed preflight requirement.
 
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