Narrative:

An aircraft having problems with its gear (the nose gear on small aircraft failed to extend) asked me to fly formation on him to observe the gear as he recycled it. After confirming that the nose gear was not fully extending, and after exhausting all the means the manual, the pilot of the small aircraft, myself, cold come up with, we decided he should attempt to bounce on the main gear to try to jolt the nose gear free. He decided to go to donaldson airport (7a1) which has emergency equipment and an 8000' runway but is uncontrolled. Greer approach (gsp) notified donaldson's emergency equipment to have them standing by. The pilot of the small aircraft (who is an instructor at the flight school I'm chief pilot for) asked me to follow him down on the approach and call out the distance from the main gear to the runway. On the first pass the small aircraft lined up on the centerline of runway 22. This forced me to fly along the runway edge to maintain safe aircraft separation. I was focused on the aircraft having difficulty. Once on downwind, I looked back to the runway and noticed emergency vehicles along the runway edge which I had just overflown. On the following passes, I asked the pilot of the small aircraft to line up to the left of centerline, allowing me to maintain safe separation and stay over the runway. Since the first pass was not completely over the runway and I was less than 1500' from the emergency vehicles, I may have been in violation of far 91.78, however, since it was an emergency situation, I feel it should fall under far 91.3(B). Although we were unable to successfully get the nose gear down and locked, he was able to safely execute an emergency landing at gsp.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA FLEW LOW FORMATION WITH SECOND SMA AS THE PLT OF THE SECOND ACFT TRIED TO BOUNCE ACFT ON RWY TO FACILITATE LOWERING THE NOSE GEAR. REPORTER IN SMA X IS CONCERNED BECAUSE HE MADE A LOW PASS OVER EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT THAT WAS STANDING BY.

Narrative: AN ACFT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ITS GEAR (THE NOSE GEAR ON SMA FAILED TO EXTEND) ASKED ME TO FLY FORMATION ON HIM TO OBSERVE THE GEAR AS HE RECYCLED IT. AFTER CONFIRMING THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT FULLY EXTENDING, AND AFTER EXHAUSTING ALL THE MEANS THE MANUAL, THE PLT OF THE SMA, MYSELF, COLD COME UP WITH, WE DECIDED HE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO BOUNCE ON THE MAIN GEAR TO TRY TO JOLT THE NOSE GEAR FREE. HE DECIDED TO GO TO DONALDSON ARPT (7A1) WHICH HAS EMER EQUIP AND AN 8000' RWY BUT IS UNCONTROLLED. GREER APCH (GSP) NOTIFIED DONALDSON'S EMER EQUIP TO HAVE THEM STANDING BY. THE PLT OF THE SMA (WHO IS AN INSTRUCTOR AT THE FLT SCHOOL I'M CHIEF PLT FOR) ASKED ME TO FOLLOW HIM DOWN ON THE APCH AND CALL OUT THE DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN GEAR TO THE RWY. ON THE FIRST PASS THE SMA LINED UP ON THE CENTERLINE OF RWY 22. THIS FORCED ME TO FLY ALONG THE RWY EDGE TO MAINTAIN SAFE ACFT SEPARATION. I WAS FOCUSED ON THE ACFT HAVING DIFFICULTY. ONCE ON DOWNWIND, I LOOKED BACK TO THE RWY AND NOTICED EMER VEHICLES ALONG THE RWY EDGE WHICH I HAD JUST OVERFLOWN. ON THE FOLLOWING PASSES, I ASKED THE PLT OF THE SMA TO LINE UP TO THE LEFT OF CENTERLINE, ALLOWING ME TO MAINTAIN SAFE SEPARATION AND STAY OVER THE RWY. SINCE THE FIRST PASS WAS NOT COMPLETELY OVER THE RWY AND I WAS LESS THAN 1500' FROM THE EMER VEHICLES, I MAY HAVE BEEN IN VIOLATION OF FAR 91.78, HOWEVER, SINCE IT WAS AN EMER SITUATION, I FEEL IT SHOULD FALL UNDER FAR 91.3(B). ALTHOUGH WE WERE UNABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY GET THE NOSE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED, HE WAS ABLE TO SAFELY EXECUTE AN EMER LNDG AT GSP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.