Narrative:

On our second touch and go (third gear retraction of the flight) I heard and felt a clunk at my feet as the gear came up. I had just flown a demonstration traffic pattern and landing and gave the controls to my student; on the upwind. When he lowered the gear on the downwind I observed no nose gear in the mirror and a dark nose gear indicator. We exited the traffic pattern on the right downwind for runway 32 and began troubleshooting. I had my student raise and lower the gear again; I swapped light bulbs and checked circuit breakers; but it was obvious from the mirrors that only the nose gear door was down. I had my student raise the mains for our climb. I had my student execute the manual gear extension checklist while I flew level. When the nose gear didn't come down I contacted tower and informed them of our situation. I then contacted operations. Maintenance was also monitoring the situation and the consensus from maintenance was that I should try to bring the nose gear down with centrifugal force. I climbed to around 12000 ft. Before initiating the first dive; I pulled the hydraulic pump power circuit breaker and had my student put the gear selector down and unguard the manual knob. I initiated a dive and pull-up and had my student pull the knob when we were just under 100 KTS. But by that time we were very nose high in a zoom with almost no load on the airplane. Again; only the mains indicated down and I could only see the nose gear doors down. I left the gear in this position and initiated a series of dives and pull-ups but only managed to stall the airplane as the energy began bleeding off. (In hindsight; I never felt much g-load in any of the pull-up maneuvers. I feel I was wrong for not trying a third manual gear extension while in a 60 degree banked turn. I think I could've loaded up the plane better and wished I would've thought of it in the air.) I did a low pass so that tower could have a look. They also informed me that the nose gear appeared to be up. Operations asked me if I was comfortable landing on the mains with both engines off/propellers feathered; but told me it was my option to just put the airplane down on its belly power-on. I told him that a power-off landing on the mains was no problem. I had my student uncover the handle for the emergency exit and I opened the door on final. I initiated a slightly high approach then pulled both throttles to idle; followed by both propellers to feather and both mixtures to idle-cutoff. I touched down on the mains with flaps 10 degrees and held the nose off as long as possible. The airplane came to a rest at about the 2000 ft markers after skidding for some distance on the nose cowling. Other than nose damage I also observed 1 blade on the right side was damaged.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNABLE TO EXTEND NOSE GEAR; PA44 LANDS ON MAIN GEAR ONLY.

Narrative: ON OUR SECOND TOUCH AND GO (THIRD GEAR RETRACTION OF THE FLT) I HEARD AND FELT A CLUNK AT MY FEET AS THE GEAR CAME UP. I HAD JUST FLOWN A DEMO TFC PATTERN AND LNDG AND GAVE THE CTLS TO MY STUDENT; ON THE UPWIND. WHEN HE LOWERED THE GEAR ON THE DOWNWIND I OBSERVED NO NOSE GEAR IN THE MIRROR AND A DARK NOSE GEAR INDICATOR. WE EXITED THE TFC PATTERN ON THE R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 32 AND BEGAN TROUBLESHOOTING. I HAD MY STUDENT RAISE AND LOWER THE GEAR AGAIN; I SWAPPED LIGHT BULBS AND CHKED CIRCUIT BREAKERS; BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS FROM THE MIRRORS THAT ONLY THE NOSE GEAR DOOR WAS DOWN. I HAD MY STUDENT RAISE THE MAINS FOR OUR CLB. I HAD MY STUDENT EXECUTE THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION CHKLIST WHILE I FLEW LEVEL. WHEN THE NOSE GEAR DIDN'T COME DOWN I CONTACTED TWR AND INFORMED THEM OF OUR SITUATION. I THEN CONTACTED OPS. MAINT WAS ALSO MONITORING THE SITUATION AND THE CONSENSUS FROM MAINT WAS THAT I SHOULD TRY TO BRING THE NOSE GEAR DOWN WITH CENTRIFUGAL FORCE. I CLBED TO AROUND 12000 FT. BEFORE INITIATING THE FIRST DIVE; I PULLED THE HYD PUMP PWR CIRCUIT BREAKER AND HAD MY STUDENT PUT THE GEAR SELECTOR DOWN AND UNGUARD THE MANUAL KNOB. I INITIATED A DIVE AND PULL-UP AND HAD MY STUDENT PULL THE KNOB WHEN WE WERE JUST UNDER 100 KTS. BUT BY THAT TIME WE WERE VERY NOSE HIGH IN A ZOOM WITH ALMOST NO LOAD ON THE AIRPLANE. AGAIN; ONLY THE MAINS INDICATED DOWN AND I COULD ONLY SEE THE NOSE GEAR DOORS DOWN. I LEFT THE GEAR IN THIS POS AND INITIATED A SERIES OF DIVES AND PULL-UPS BUT ONLY MANAGED TO STALL THE AIRPLANE AS THE ENERGY BEGAN BLEEDING OFF. (IN HINDSIGHT; I NEVER FELT MUCH G-LOAD IN ANY OF THE PULL-UP MANEUVERS. I FEEL I WAS WRONG FOR NOT TRYING A THIRD MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION WHILE IN A 60 DEG BANKED TURN. I THINK I COULD'VE LOADED UP THE PLANE BETTER AND WISHED I WOULD'VE THOUGHT OF IT IN THE AIR.) I DID A LOW PASS SO THAT TWR COULD HAVE A LOOK. THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO BE UP. OPS ASKED ME IF I WAS COMFORTABLE LNDG ON THE MAINS WITH BOTH ENGS OFF/PROPS FEATHERED; BUT TOLD ME IT WAS MY OPTION TO JUST PUT THE AIRPLANE DOWN ON ITS BELLY PWR-ON. I TOLD HIM THAT A PWR-OFF LNDG ON THE MAINS WAS NO PROB. I HAD MY STUDENT UNCOVER THE HANDLE FOR THE EMER EXIT AND I OPENED THE DOOR ON FINAL. I INITIATED A SLIGHTLY HIGH APCH THEN PULLED BOTH THROTTLES TO IDLE; FOLLOWED BY BOTH PROPS TO FEATHER AND BOTH MIXTURES TO IDLE-CUTOFF. I TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAINS WITH FLAPS 10 DEGS AND HELD THE NOSE OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A REST AT ABOUT THE 2000 FT MARKERS AFTER SKIDDING FOR SOME DISTANCE ON THE NOSE COWLING. OTHER THAN NOSE DAMAGE I ALSO OBSERVED 1 BLADE ON THE R SIDE WAS DAMAGED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.