PA28R - undercarriage story

[GoneWest]

Postman has just brought me the June edition of GASIL. Anybody read the story on Arrow undercarriage? If so - fast forward...if not, here's an abbridged version.

"On selecting 'gear down' the selector lever broke with the switch still in the UP position. Used Emergency Gear Down switch. Unfortunately, the gear actuator remained energised and the undercarriage stayed UP.

Called the tower to report an intended non-radio landing then turned off the battery master switch. Down came the undercarriage. (The electrically driven motor only raises the gear - gravity brings it back out again)."

Anybody else have any of those little whisps of wisdom like that? It's something I'd never thought of - what else does it work in?? Is this a standard Piper thing, doe sit work on Cessna...what?

[Kermit 180]

Never flown an Arrow retractable, but in the C172RG, the gear can be extended using a handpump stowed between the two front seats.
It is actuated using accumulated hydrauic pressure, and is usually very reliable. The way the RG's gear is retracted doesnt really allow for gravity to help it down (the main gear is tucked into the fuselage rearwards and the nosewheel is enclosed inside doors).

There was also a good article in a recent Australian Flying magazine on a C172RG Cutlass where the pilot forgot that the electrics weren't working, and he almost missed the fact that the gear wasn't down even though he had selected the gear lever. Comes down to knowing the systems in your aircraft.

Kermie :)

[A and C]

The system works just the same as the PA 34 and after a number of such happenings myself and the chief engineers of two maintenance outfits got together and wrote an to GASIL with a recomended drill for the problem and a quick guide to how the system worked ,this was published in full and resulted in a CAA change sheet to the flight manual being issued for the PA 34

If the U/C switch fails in the UP position trip the LANDING GEAR MOTOR CB (not the landing gear control and indication CB )then
use the alernate gear extention system.

Unfortunatly not all the aircraft are fitted with CB s that you can trip and so turnning off the battery may be the only course of action.
I would recomend that the owners of the folowing aircraft fit a landing gear motor CB that can be tripped by the pilot, PA28R,PA32,PA34,PA44,and the rockwell AC112/114,beech 76.

[Final 3 Greens]

As a PA28R pilot, this is valuable information.

Just to add my tuppence, having used the alternate gear extension method, it is likely that some rudder induced yaw will need to be applied to lock the mains, as they can be a little reluctant to obey gravity completely!