Narrative:

I was on the ILS runway 33 at uca when at the final approach fix I went to put the gear down and I heard no noise and didn't receive a green light. So, I told the tower (uca) that I was having a gear problem and wanted to break off the approach to work on it. So the tower told me to fly the runway heading and climb to 3000 ft and to call griffiss approach. I called griffiss and they asked me if I wanted to hold and I said I wanted to just fly a heading and an altitude. I noticed that the gear motor circuit breaker was popped. So I put the gear handle up, put the breaker in, and then put the gear handle down. I received no green light and heard no noise. So I consulted the gear extension checklist and followed that, but I could not get the hand crank to engage. The handle would turn, but it was slipping and not catching. I was turning it counter clockwise. I called the mechanic at uca and was asking him for advice. I tried switching the light bulbs, but that wasn't the problem. The mechanic called columbus and talked to our company's head mechanic to ask for input as well. They said to stow the hand crank, put the breaker back in, and try to lift the gear handle. When I did this the circuit breaker popped again. So I tried to pump the gear down again via the checklist and it didn't work! I did a fly-by and the tower didn't see my gear down. I tried to pump the gear down for an hour and 45 mins. When I was down to about an hour's left of fuel, I knew I was going to have to come in to land to keep my fuel reserve. So, the mechanics said to try one more time to put in the breaker and put the gear handle down. I don't like to keep resetting breakers more than once but in desperation I tried it again and it didn't work. I tried again to pump it down and the crank wouldn't engage. I left the crank unstowed with the breaker popped and gear handle down and declared an emergency. I asked for the ILS runway 33, circle to land on runway 27 so that I could land more into the wind and because runway 27 was snow covered. I was cleared for the approach and cleared to land. I did the emergency checklist of landing without gear. The wind was 290 degrees at 8 KTS. I shut off the fuel valves, shut off mixtures, feathered the propellers, shut off magnetos, alternators and the battery, and had full flaps. When I came to a stop on the runway I exited the plane immediately. The FAA said this would be an incident on my record and that there wasn't much damage to the plane. The mechanic couldn't move the handle either, and he tried right after I landed. The mechanic says there is probably something wrong with the gear box and is sending it in to be inspected. He said that it was mechanical error and not pilot error. I did everything I could. The FAA, control tower and approach ATC controllers said I did everything by the book. Maybe an airworthiness directive can be put out to check the gear box more often, can be put out to prevent this from reoccurring. I believe a mechanical problem in the gear box caused the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE58 PLT IS FORCED TO LAND GEAR UP WHEN THE ELECTRICAL GEAR SYS FAILS AND THE MANUAL CRANK DOES NOT ENGAGE.

Narrative: I WAS ON THE ILS RWY 33 AT UCA WHEN AT THE FINAL APCH FIX I WENT TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN AND I HEARD NO NOISE AND DIDN'T RECEIVE A GREEN LIGHT. SO, I TOLD THE TWR (UCA) THAT I WAS HAVING A GEAR PROB AND WANTED TO BREAK OFF THE APCH TO WORK ON IT. SO THE TWR TOLD ME TO FLY THE RWY HDG AND CLB TO 3000 FT AND TO CALL GRIFFISS APCH. I CALLED GRIFFISS AND THEY ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO HOLD AND I SAID I WANTED TO JUST FLY A HDG AND AN ALT. I NOTICED THAT THE GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS POPPED. SO I PUT THE GEAR HANDLE UP, PUT THE BREAKER IN, AND THEN PUT THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN. I RECEIVED NO GREEN LIGHT AND HEARD NO NOISE. SO I CONSULTED THE GEAR EXTENSION CHKLIST AND FOLLOWED THAT, BUT I COULD NOT GET THE HAND CRANK TO ENGAGE. THE HANDLE WOULD TURN, BUT IT WAS SLIPPING AND NOT CATCHING. I WAS TURNING IT COUNTER CLOCKWISE. I CALLED THE MECH AT UCA AND WAS ASKING HIM FOR ADVICE. I TRIED SWITCHING THE LIGHT BULBS, BUT THAT WASN'T THE PROB. THE MECH CALLED COLUMBUS AND TALKED TO OUR COMPANY'S HEAD MECH TO ASK FOR INPUT AS WELL. THEY SAID TO STOW THE HAND CRANK, PUT THE BREAKER BACK IN, AND TRY TO LIFT THE GEAR HANDLE. WHEN I DID THIS THE CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED AGAIN. SO I TRIED TO PUMP THE GEAR DOWN AGAIN VIA THE CHKLIST AND IT DIDN'T WORK! I DID A FLY-BY AND THE TWR DIDN'T SEE MY GEAR DOWN. I TRIED TO PUMP THE GEAR DOWN FOR AN HR AND 45 MINS. WHEN I WAS DOWN TO ABOUT AN HR'S LEFT OF FUEL, I KNEW I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO COME IN TO LAND TO KEEP MY FUEL RESERVE. SO, THE MECHS SAID TO TRY ONE MORE TIME TO PUT IN THE BREAKER AND PUT THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN. I DON'T LIKE TO KEEP RESETTING BREAKERS MORE THAN ONCE BUT IN DESPERATION I TRIED IT AGAIN AND IT DIDN'T WORK. I TRIED AGAIN TO PUMP IT DOWN AND THE CRANK WOULDN'T ENGAGE. I LEFT THE CRANK UNSTOWED WITH THE BREAKER POPPED AND GEAR HANDLE DOWN AND DECLARED AN EMER. I ASKED FOR THE ILS RWY 33, CIRCLE TO LAND ON RWY 27 SO THAT I COULD LAND MORE INTO THE WIND AND BECAUSE RWY 27 WAS SNOW COVERED. I WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH AND CLRED TO LAND. I DID THE EMER CHKLIST OF LNDG WITHOUT GEAR. THE WIND WAS 290 DEGS AT 8 KTS. I SHUT OFF THE FUEL VALVES, SHUT OFF MIXTURES, FEATHERED THE PROPS, SHUT OFF MAGNETOS, ALTERNATORS AND THE BATTERY, AND HAD FULL FLAPS. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP ON THE RWY I EXITED THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY. THE FAA SAID THIS WOULD BE AN INCIDENT ON MY RECORD AND THAT THERE WASN'T MUCH DAMAGE TO THE PLANE. THE MECH COULDN'T MOVE THE HANDLE EITHER, AND HE TRIED RIGHT AFTER I LANDED. THE MECH SAYS THERE IS PROBABLY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE GEAR BOX AND IS SENDING IT IN TO BE INSPECTED. HE SAID THAT IT WAS MECHANICAL ERROR AND NOT PLT ERROR. I DID EVERYTHING I COULD. THE FAA, CTL TWR AND APCH ATC CTLRS SAID I DID EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK. MAYBE AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE CAN BE PUT OUT TO CHK THE GEAR BOX MORE OFTEN, CAN BE PUT OUT TO PREVENT THIS FROM REOCCURRING. I BELIEVE A MECHANICAL PROB IN THE GEAR BOX CAUSED THE PROB.

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.