Simviation Forums

So you're approaching the airport in your lovely old Twin Bonanza, and as you hit the gear switch, you notice you don't have a "down and locked" indication. What to do?
If you're skilled and a little lucky, you do what this guy did:


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4819d4f73d

thats real good piloting, and since he cut off his engines, and there wasnt a prop strike that plane is still salvegable

Fantastic flying.  And notice how after they jumped out to run away, the pilot decided to go back and turn off the master and his buddy tagged along  ;D

This ones good also.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YCGCU9gkYWE

Fantastic flying.  And notice how after they jumped out to run away, the pilot decided to go back and turn off the master and his buddy tagged along  ;D

He noticed the beacon was still on... d'oh.  

Smart move, turning off the master in case there's wiring damage and a fuel leak-  but I think
I'd have asked one of the firemen to reach in there and kill it ... they're better dressed for something like that.

Or maybe I'd have remembered before I got out...

He's entitled to one brain-fart after that beautiful save.

thats real good piloting, and since he cut off his engines, and there wasnt a prop strike that plane is still salvegable

from the view that we saw it did look as if the prop slightly touched the runway, even the smallest touch is enough to knock it out of alignment

Great flying & video Sean, I love the way they've already got the door open in order to make a quick exit.

from the view that we saw it did look as if the prop slightly touched the runway, even the smallest touch is enough to knock it out of alignment

True, but still better than shock loading two engines.

[quote]He noticed the beacon was still on... d'oh.

Does that Beech not have an alternate mechanism for lowering the gear?

Does that Beech not have an alternate mechanism for lowering the gear?

Not sure, but something tells me if there was, they tried that. The problem was very likely something to do with the travel of the gear and not the actuator. But who knows? He forgot about the master switch- maybe he also forgot the crank or whatever.

in the apache that i sometimes fly you have a manual hand pump - operation is simple.

Put the gear lever down

pull the pump handle out and pump it up and down until you get

1) three green lights
2) landing gear handle returns to center

of course this will only work if you have hydraulic fluid.

in the event that this does not work there is also an air charge. beneath the pilot seat there is a pin you pull that supposedly blasts the gear down with a compressed air charge. the air charge is the last resort... i have heard mechanics call it the 10,000 dollar button - i would hate to find out why it is called that!

the guy in the video did everything right... he had the door cracked to prevent it from jamming shut, he killed the engines right before touchdown, his passenger was obviously well briefed on the matter of evacuation procedures. the only thing is he left the master on... but i guess with adrenaline running like that you cant remember every switch hahaha

the guy in the video did everything right... he had the door cracked to prevent it from jamming shut, he killed the engines right before touchdown, his passenger was obviously well briefed on the matter of evacuation procedures. the only thing is he left the master on... but i guess with adrenaline running like that you cant remember every switch hahaha

You just have to tease somebody about that, especially when everything else was so perfect.  ;) The timing of the engine shutdown was superb... I don't think it was just a fluke; I think he knew how long it would take, and definitely made sure he'd get it on safely before he shut them down. Impressive.

I posted back in July about my trip to Oshkosh... The planned fuel stop at Warsaw, IA turned out to be a long, straight-in final that included a GUMPS that never got past the 'U'  

It was relatively uneventful, as the emergency pump got the gear down in good order. It turned out to be a hydraulic leak that the electric pump couldn't keep up with. The creepy thing, is that during repairs, I was informed that there was barely enough fluid left for the emergency deployment.

Anyway.. since I had visual confirmation (mains in sight and the nose visible (barely) via that goofy, convex mirror on the starboard wing-tip), I just landed normally. But during my intitial assessment, an engine-off landing went through my mind and I quickly dismissed the idea of tapping the starter to get the 3-blade prop in optimal alignment with everything else going on.

They say, "If you fly a Cardinal RG, it's not  a matter of if, but when you'll be landing sans gear"..

They say, "If you fly a Cardinal RG, it's not  a matter of if, but when you'll be landing sans gear"..

I thought the saying was "There are two types of retractable pilots: those who have landed gear-up, and those who will".

But maybe that saying refers to forgetting the gear...

I thought the saying was "There are two types of retractable pilots: those who have landed gear-up, and those who will".  

But maybe that saying refers to forgetting the gear...  

Oh yeah (but we try not to think about that)...

I guess the 177RG gear is even worse than its relatives (172RG, 182RG, 210). It's just a bad design...

I thought the saying was "There are two types of retractable pilots: those who have landed gear-up, and those who will".  

But maybe that saying refers to forgetting the gear...  

Oh yeah (but we try not to think about that)...

I guess the 177RG gear is even worse than its relatives (172RG, 182RG, 210). It's just a bad design...

So I hear. And is it worth the extra coupla knots? I'm becoming less and less enamored with retractables in general... some very fast planes have gear "down and welded".