Would you cycle the gear?

David Cartwright wrote:



The only thing I'd be tempted to do in addition, assuming your airfield is
big enough, you're experienced enough, and there's enough time to make it a
reasonably safe manoeuvre, is to make a power-off, glide landing, and to get
the second pair of hands in the cockpit (in this case your student) to crank
the propeller with the starter so it's roughly horizontal and thus won't
bash the runway. A prop strike will generally shock-load the engine and
necessitate a complete strip down.

Have you ever actually attempted to stop the prop while in flight?

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 11:09:45 -0700, MikeM wrote:


Have you ever actually attempted to stop the prop while in flight?

Yup. Was the proud holder of a student certificate at the time.

Did it a 2 1/2-year-old Malibu Mirage at an altitude of approx. 5 feet
AGL at the approach end of a 4000 ft runway. While I secured the
engine, and then held the nose off, the guy in the right seat reached
between my knees and bumped the prop.

Engine had a little over 6 hours SNEW. Wouldn't have attempted it by
myself (moot point, at that time, I wasn't insurable in it by myself).

No nose indication on downwind. Guys on the ground reported that it
looked like it was down and was pointing in the proper direction (nose
wheel rotates about 90 degrees during extension/retraction) Retracted
landing gear, right seater verified pump operation sounded "normal".

Made one extra circuit around the pattern with the emergency checklist
in my lap. Emergency extension per the checklist netted no nose
indication. Retracted landing gear, tried one more normal extension,
right seater again verified pump cycled on and off normally. Did a
pre-final approach briefing discussing precisely who was doing what
and when.

Had three green when the airplane coasted to a stop. Have absolutely
no idea when in the sequence of events during touchdown when the light
lit and the gear horn stopped blowing. CFII/ATP-rated pilot in the
right seat didn't either. While not legally PIC, I remained the
PilotOperatingTheControlsAndMakingAllTheDecisions.

If I would have been without experienced help in the other front seat,
there is no way I would have screwed around with trying to "save" the
engine/prop.

FWIW, in the Arrow scenario, if the nose gear looked good from the
ground, and the green light/in transit light was cycling as described,
I would have landed with no attempt to "cycle the gear", holding the
nose off.

If the three green lights aren't lit in an Arrow, the pump will be
running (accompanied by the in transit/pump light). Worn bushings in
the nose trunnion pivot/retract/extend/downlock assembly will often
first cause the "cycling" effect when turning a corner on the ground.
First time it happened to me (Fall of 1989 in a Turbo 'Toga SP) I'm
pretty sure I pee-ed a little.

When the pump light is lit, hydraulic pressure will indeed assist in
helping the nose gear stay extended.

TC