In oups.com,
Jim slavered, and posted this:
A&P heroics in landing gear save:

http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1109870.html

-Jim


Not for nothing (and not that I am not glad that all are OK), but after
reading the article, I seriously question the pilot's decision to fly the
airplane (and the mechanic's competence on the 210) with "an oil leak from
the flaps and the gear." I can see the NTSB incident report:

Probable Cause: Improper preflight and pilot's decision to fly with known
hydraulic deficiencies in the landing gear system.
Contributing Factor: Failure of the landing gear hydraulic system.

By the way, I found this on AvWeb regarding landing gear on the C210
(http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/182907-1.html):

quote
The Centurion landing gear system has a lousy reputation. Actually, the gear
system can be extremely reliable if you and your maintenance shop
understands the system thoroughly. CPA's three-day Cessna 210 Systems and
Procedures Course devotes several hours to this subject, but I will mention
a few of the highlights here.
UH OH! NO GREEN LIGHT. If you don't get a green light after extending the
gear, the first thing to do is to visually check the landing gear position.
When down and locked, the main gear tires can be seen from the cabin.
However, the nosewheel is not visible to the pilot unless you install a
convex landing gear mirror. A mirror is also necessary to observe the
position of the main gear doors (if your plane has them). CPA sells an STC'd
mirror that simply replaces one of the underwing inspection plates.

If the landing gear appears completely down but there is no green light, a
normal landing should be made. If the main gear is down but not quite
locked, the weight of the aircraft will push the main gear legs toward the
locked position. However, the nose gear retracts forward, so weight on an
unlocked nose gear will tend to make it retract. Therefore, take care to
hold the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible.

If the gear does not appear to be fully extended, try to determine the
cause. On 1971 and earlier 210s which use an engine-driven hydraulic pump,
recycle the landing gear handle to the neutral position and then back to the
down position. On 1972 and later 210s with an electrically-driven hydraulic
pump, make sure that the landing gear switch is in the down position and
that neither the landing gear motor circuit breaker or landing gear control
circuit breaker have tripped.

If the gear still is not fully extended, then it is time to use the
emergency extension system. With the landing gear handle or switch in the
down position, pull out the emergency extension pump handle and start
pumping. Continue until the handle feels like it is set in cement. Visually
determine that the gear is extended and that you have a green light, then
make a normal landing.

If the emergency extension handle won't budge, the most likely cause is a
stuck door solenoid valve (assuming you have doors). The door solenoid valve
is electrically activated to the door-closed position and spring- loaded to
the door-open position. Try turning off the master switch (VFR conditions
only!) to allow the electrical circuits in the landing gear system to cool
down. This may allow the solenoid valve to drop into place. You can also try
pulling the plastic center console cover off to expose the landing gear
power pack, and rap on the door solenoid valve to encourage it to release.
The door solenoid valve is the small silver canister assembly on the left
side of the power pack.

If the emergency extension handle moves freely but the gear does not extend,
the most likely cause is insufficent hydraulic fluid. On pre-1972 aircraft,
there's not much you can do other than verifying that this is the situation
by observing if any fluid is visible through the sight glass. On 1972 and
later models, there's a dipstick and filler port behind a removable panel on
the center console. If the dipstick shows no fluid in the power pack, you
can try pouring any available liquid into the power pack reservoir.

IF NOTHING WORKS, KEEP YOUR COOL. If a gear-up landing can't be avoided, the
important thing is not to panic. A landing with the gear up or partially
extended is not a life-threatening situation and only through panic can a
pilot turn it into one. Simply make a normal approach, touching down at as
low an airspeed as you are comfortable with while maintaining control of the
aircraft.

If you are faced with making a wheels-up landing, here are some items you
might want to keep in mind:

a.. Pavement is better than grass. Contrary to intuition, less damage will
be done touch down on smooth pavement than on grass.

b.. Pick a runway the airlines don't need. If you disturb airline
schedules, the airport management will want toclear the runway quickly,
which could result in greater damage to your aircraft. The FAA may get
upset, too. If the wind is manageable, consider using a crosswind runway at
an airport you think you might have repairs done.

c.. Don't worry about prop or engine damage. The hangar flyers will tell
you should shut down the engine and stop the prop on final to minimize
damage. Most of those guys have never done it. I have, and let me tell you
it is no easy task. Once you pull the mixture out to shut down the engine,
you will have to reduce airspeed almost to stall to get the prop stopped,
and then remain at very low airspeed to prevent the prop from windmilling
again. What's the point? At best, you'll only be saving money for your
insurance company. And that's a pretty poor reason for increasing the risk
factor during a wheels up landing

/quote

The news article doesn't say anything about whether these procedures were
attempted...

--
Doug Semler
http://home.wideopenwest.com/~doug_semler
a.a. #705, BAAWA. EAC Guardian of the Horn of the IPU (pbuhh).
I hate spam, standard email address munging applied.
Displaced Bolts fan in Detroit
42
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