Main gear as airbrake event
Prober, "The main gear as an airbrake switch actually disconnected the nose wheel deployment and the incident mentioned suffered a "nose wheel fails to lower" when it came to the actual landing. The switch was then disconnected!!" ...... not quite the full story......... "I was that man"!! (Also can you point me to the post with the "incident mentioned").
We were doing LHR-GVA-LHR in about 1967 (EDIT: 16 December 1966) in a Trident 1 (EDIT: GARPM) , with a Very Senior Management Pilot (VSMP) in the LHS making his once a month recency flight, and as I recall he flew the approach. I was the junior F/O with one ring I think. Can't remember the SFO in the RHS at the moment (EDIT: SFO Chris Cross) and my logbooks aren't to hand. Strong NW tailwind and held up very high by French ATC all the way to the then Swiss border, as was their habit, before getting clearance to descend from GVA control. Anyway the very late TOD meant using everything to get down expeditiously approaching.
IIRC the layout was that the airbrake lever was on the left side of the console, and just to one side and behind its stowed position was a toggle switch which enabled you to drop the main gear only, as you said, at a max. speed of 320 kts (?) IAS. Alongside the switch was an amber warning light to tell you you'd used it. Retraction was limited to 280 (?) though.
VSMP deployed airbrake lever and then main gear while decelerating, cleaning up as the speed decreased and we got round and landed with no problems.
We turned around and took off again, and on selecting gear up the main wheels stayed firmly down: 2 reds and 2 greens. The main gear had an emergency free fall that was activated via a hatch in the centre cabin floor that actually opened into the cargo hold, and accessed a lever for a compressed air bottle that would blow the gear down.
VSMP says there has been an incident elsewhere on the network where a loader in the hold has grabbed this lever and discharged the bottle, causing the main gear to refuse to retract. Therefore that is what has happened. Declares an immediate return to GVA and we went back and landed. VSMP departs cockpit to investigate and deliver bollocking to ground staff.
SFO and I are discussing this in this his absence and doing the turnround checklist when we notice main gear airbrake switch is still in "extended" position although the warning light is out.
VSMP returns and red faces ensue. SFO and I got an informal bollocking from chief pilot for not being smart enough to know that VSMP needed watching like a hawk! and "lessons are duly learned".
Meanwhile VSMP takes up subject of failed warning lamps etc. with manufacturer (de Haviland). It transpired that on every other aircraft on the fleet there was a striker pin on the airbrake lever, such that when the airbrake was stowed after use, it would also return the "main gear airbrake" switch to the "up" position, if it hadn't already been done. It wasn't installed on this aircraft! More significantly, they were horrified to find that we were using this facility on a relatively routine basis, as it was only intended as an emergency facility for rapid decompressions etc. Hence came the removal of the ability to use it - I can't even remember if it was even actually installed on the T2 and T3.
Happy days!
Steve
Last edited by slast; 4th Dec 2010 at 17:04.
Reason: To add log book data