Light transport air carrier turboprop aircraft had unsafe nose gear indication and all procedures to...

Attributes
ACN	395603
Time
Date	199802
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mem
State Reference	TN
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : mem
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 1100 flight time type : 600
ASRS Report	395603
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : unable
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Nose gear indicator malfunctioned. Did not show 3 green (down and locked). Declared emergency. Received vectors from approach for approximately 20 mins to troubleshoot problem, talk to company maintenance and dispatch, burn off extra fuel and brief passenger. Changing bulbs in gear indicator did not solve problem. Captain declined tower's offer of fly-by, saying he could see nose gear's reflection in spinner and it appeared down. First officer (PF) stated he would like a fly-by but agreed that tower would be unable to determine if gear was locked, so acquiesced in captain's decision to commence approach. First officer felt rushed, however, and asked captain to review emergency checklist again, which he did on 6 mi final. Approach was near perfect, until the flare, at which time first officer allowed too much airspeed to bleed off, trying to keep nosewheel well clear of runway, and received stick shaker and prestall horn approximately 3 ft above runway. First officer's left hand was on trim wheel, instead of throttles, and took a second or 2 to reach around captain's hands (which were on feather levers) to increase power. Simultaneously, captain feathered both engines (checklist procedure called for feathering after mains touched down). Right engine feathered a second or 2 prior to left, and airplane rolled/yawed right, impacting on right main and nosewheel (which was, fortunately, down and locked), bounced a ft or 2, and settled firmly on all 3 gear. Not a hard landing in the classic sense, but a poor landing given the situation. Factors: 1) first officer's distraction with landing nose high led to failure to maintain airspeed. 2) confusion caused by stick shaker led captain to feather just a second or 2 before mains touched. Bad landing could have been avoided by first officer flying a normal landing instead of fixating on gear problem, captain feathering after touchdown per checklist, and both pilots taking time to brief and rehearse landing sequence.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT ACR TURBOPROP ACFT HAD UNSAFE NOSE GEAR INDICATION AND ALL PROCS TO CORRECT IT DIDN'T WORK. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, PNF, CAPT FEATHERED BOTH ENGS RESULTING IN A ROLL ON TOUCHDOWN. NOSE GEAR HELD AND, OTHER THAN A BAD LNDG, ALL WAS NORMAL.

Narrative: NOSE GEAR INDICATOR MALFUNCTIONED. DID NOT SHOW 3 GREEN (DOWN AND LOCKED). DECLARED EMER. RECEIVED VECTORS FROM APCH FOR APPROX 20 MINS TO TROUBLESHOOT PROB, TALK TO COMPANY MAINT AND DISPATCH, BURN OFF EXTRA FUEL AND BRIEF PAX. CHANGING BULBS IN GEAR INDICATOR DID NOT SOLVE PROB. CAPT DECLINED TWR'S OFFER OF FLY-BY, SAYING HE COULD SEE NOSE GEAR'S REFLECTION IN SPINNER AND IT APPEARED DOWN. FO (PF) STATED HE WOULD LIKE A FLY-BY BUT AGREED THAT TWR WOULD BE UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF GEAR WAS LOCKED, SO ACQUIESCED IN CAPT'S DECISION TO COMMENCE APCH. FO FELT RUSHED, HOWEVER, AND ASKED CAPT TO REVIEW EMER CHKLIST AGAIN, WHICH HE DID ON 6 MI FINAL. APCH WAS NEAR PERFECT, UNTIL THE FLARE, AT WHICH TIME FO ALLOWED TOO MUCH AIRSPD TO BLEED OFF, TRYING TO KEEP NOSEWHEEL WELL CLR OF RWY, AND RECEIVED STICK SHAKER AND PRESTALL HORN APPROX 3 FT ABOVE RWY. FO'S L HAND WAS ON TRIM WHEEL, INSTEAD OF THROTTLES, AND TOOK A SECOND OR 2 TO REACH AROUND CAPT'S HANDS (WHICH WERE ON FEATHER LEVERS) TO INCREASE PWR. SIMULTANEOUSLY, CAPT FEATHERED BOTH ENGS (CHKLIST PROC CALLED FOR FEATHERING AFTER MAINS TOUCHED DOWN). R ENG FEATHERED A SECOND OR 2 PRIOR TO L, AND AIRPLANE ROLLED/YAWED R, IMPACTING ON R MAIN AND NOSEWHEEL (WHICH WAS, FORTUNATELY, DOWN AND LOCKED), BOUNCED A FT OR 2, AND SETTLED FIRMLY ON ALL 3 GEAR. NOT A HARD LNDG IN THE CLASSIC SENSE, BUT A POOR LNDG GIVEN THE SIT. FACTORS: 1) FO'S DISTR WITH LNDG NOSE HIGH LED TO FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPD. 2) CONFUSION CAUSED BY STICK SHAKER LED CAPT TO FEATHER JUST A SECOND OR 2 BEFORE MAINS TOUCHED. BAD LNDG COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY FO FLYING A NORMAL LNDG INSTEAD OF FIXATING ON GEAR PROB, CAPT FEATHERING AFTER TOUCHDOWN PER CHKLIST, AND BOTH PLTS TAKING TIME TO BRIEF AND REHEARSE LNDG SEQUENCE.

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.

Light transport air carrier turboprop aircraft had unsafe nose gear indication and all procedures to correct it didn't work. Just prior to touchdown, PNF, captain feathered both engines resulting in a roll on touchdown. Nose gear held and, other than a bad landing, all was normal.