Narrative:

During my initial climb out and gear retraction en route from ZZZ1-ZZZ2 I noticed the landing gear did not properly retract and lock in the up position. Nose gear had a red light and the main gear had no lights illuminated. I recycled the landing gear; I had 3 green and no red in the down position; so I assumed it was an indication issue. I retracted the gear for the balance of our flight to ZZZ2 and got the same indication: nose gear red; main gear had no lights illuminated. The chief maintenance inspector was riding as a passenger and I discussed the events with him. Approximately 25-50 mi from ZZZ2 I extended the landing gear and observed 3 green and no red; a normal indication. So I landed and taxied to the ramp. While I unloaded the aircraft of my cargo I requested our chief maintenance inspector inspect the nose gear landing assembly. I received a report of a large amount of grease on the uplock switch and everything else appeared normal. I taxied out for departure and all seemed fine until the gear retraction during takeoff. During my initial climb out and gear retraction en route from ZZZ2-ZZZ the rudder pedals vibrated followed by a bang. Then the hydraulic pump started again for approximately 1-2 seconds. I noticed I had a discrepancy out of the ordinary. The nose gear indicated it was not up and locked indicated by a red light. I continued my flight to ZZZ for my final leg of the day. Over the ZZZ VOR I extended the landing gear and got the indication of 2 green on the main's but a red indication on the nose gear. I reconfigured the autoplt to assist in the balance of the 5 min flight to ZZZ and referenced the checklists. The nose gear indication was such that the nose was not down and locked. I contacted dispatch over the company frequency to inform them of my problem. I requested ground personnel come outside to see if they would be able to visually check the position of the landing gear as I make a low pass. They informed me that no nose gear was visible. I climbed back to a safe maneuvering altitude so we could establish a plan of action. Maintenance and administrative personnel were called to assist in the solution. I circled with no luck in the extension of the nose gear. At this time I landed following the guidelines and recommendations of our staff and the knowledge I gained through school and flight experience. The ZZZ tower personnel and airport authority/authorized assisted in the final execution of my landing. The winds were approximately 5 KTS and I chose runway xx due to the direction of ground hazards and runway length. I touched down slightly farther down the runway because I was not aware that when I feathered and shut down the engine over the threshold the speed would increase so much (approximately 10+ KTS). At this point I maintained directional control and landed the aircraft and brought the plane to a stop. We exited the aircraft upon it stopping. Supplemental information from acn 805668: several passes were made over the airport and due to the time of day no visual confirmation of the nose gear being down was possible but all indications were that it had not extended. All published emergency extension procedures were attempted but none were successful. An emergency landing with nose gear not extended was executed per the afm procedure and the airplane landed with damage primarily to the propeller which kept the fuselage from striking the runway. FAA was notified and the event was classified as an incident. The cause of the gear failure was determined to be the inability of the nose strut to completely extend in its cylinder and therefore did not stow in the correct position in the wheelwell. This was also the probable cause of the gear unsafe light that was witnessed previous to the incident flight leg. I felt that since the gear had cycled successfully twice that likely this was an indicator problem especially after having found the uplock proximity switch dirty with grease. I removed the grease with a rag prior to the incident flight. No other malfunctions were detectable in the nose gear wheelwell.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PC12 LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR UP. THE NOSE GEAR LODGED IN THE UP POSITION BECAUSE THE STRUT DID NOT FULLY EXTEND AND STOW IN THE CORRECT POS.

Narrative: DURING MY INITIAL CLBOUT AND GEAR RETRACTION ENRTE FROM ZZZ1-ZZZ2 I NOTICED THE LNDG GEAR DID NOT PROPERLY RETRACT AND LOCK IN THE UP POS. NOSE GEAR HAD A RED LIGHT AND THE MAIN GEAR HAD NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. I RECYCLED THE LNDG GEAR; I HAD 3 GREEN AND NO RED IN THE DOWN POS; SO I ASSUMED IT WAS AN INDICATION ISSUE. I RETRACTED THE GEAR FOR THE BAL OF OUR FLT TO ZZZ2 AND GOT THE SAME INDICATION: NOSE GEAR RED; MAIN GEAR HAD NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CHIEF MAINT INSPECTOR WAS RIDING AS A PAX AND I DISCUSSED THE EVENTS WITH HIM. APPROX 25-50 MI FROM ZZZ2 I EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR AND OBSERVED 3 GREEN AND NO RED; A NORMAL INDICATION. SO I LANDED AND TAXIED TO THE RAMP. WHILE I UNLOADED THE ACFT OF MY CARGO I REQUESTED OUR CHIEF MAINT INSPECTOR INSPECT THE NOSE GEAR LNDG ASSEMBLY. I RECEIVED A RPT OF A LARGE AMOUNT OF GREASE ON THE UPLOCK SWITCH AND EVERYTHING ELSE APPEARED NORMAL. I TAXIED OUT FOR DEP AND ALL SEEMED FINE UNTIL THE GEAR RETRACTION DURING TKOF. DURING MY INITIAL CLBOUT AND GEAR RETRACTION ENRTE FROM ZZZ2-ZZZ THE RUDDER PEDALS VIBRATED FOLLOWED BY A BANG. THEN THE HYD PUMP STARTED AGAIN FOR APPROX 1-2 SECONDS. I NOTICED I HAD A DISCREPANCY OUT OF THE ORDINARY. THE NOSE GEAR INDICATED IT WAS NOT UP AND LOCKED INDICATED BY A RED LIGHT. I CONTINUED MY FLT TO ZZZ FOR MY FINAL LEG OF THE DAY. OVER THE ZZZ VOR I EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR AND GOT THE INDICATION OF 2 GREEN ON THE MAIN'S BUT A RED INDICATION ON THE NOSE GEAR. I RECONFIGURED THE AUTOPLT TO ASSIST IN THE BAL OF THE 5 MIN FLT TO ZZZ AND REFED THE CHKLISTS. THE NOSE GEAR INDICATION WAS SUCH THAT THE NOSE WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED. I CONTACTED DISPATCH OVER THE COMPANY FREQ TO INFORM THEM OF MY PROB. I REQUESTED GND PERSONNEL COME OUTSIDE TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO VISUALLY CHK THE POS OF THE LNDG GEAR AS I MAKE A LOW PASS. THEY INFORMED ME THAT NO NOSE GEAR WAS VISIBLE. I CLBED BACK TO A SAFE MANEUVERING ALT SO WE COULD ESTABLISH A PLAN OF ACTION. MAINT AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL WERE CALLED TO ASSIST IN THE SOLUTION. I CIRCLED WITH NO LUCK IN THE EXTENSION OF THE NOSE GEAR. AT THIS TIME I LANDED FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF OUR STAFF AND THE KNOWLEDGE I GAINED THROUGH SCHOOL AND FLT EXPERIENCE. THE ZZZ TWR PERSONNEL AND ARPT AUTH ASSISTED IN THE FINAL EXECUTION OF MY LNDG. THE WINDS WERE APPROX 5 KTS AND I CHOSE RWY XX DUE TO THE DIRECTION OF GND HAZARDS AND RWY LENGTH. I TOUCHED DOWN SLIGHTLY FARTHER DOWN THE RWY BECAUSE I WAS NOT AWARE THAT WHEN I FEATHERED AND SHUT DOWN THE ENG OVER THE THRESHOLD THE SPD WOULD INCREASE SO MUCH (APPROX 10+ KTS). AT THIS POINT I MAINTAINED DIRECTIONAL CTL AND LANDED THE ACFT AND BROUGHT THE PLANE TO A STOP. WE EXITED THE ACFT UPON IT STOPPING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 805668: SEVERAL PASSES WERE MADE OVER THE ARPT AND DUE TO THE TIME OF DAY NO VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF THE NOSE GEAR BEING DOWN WAS POSSIBLE BUT ALL INDICATIONS WERE THAT IT HAD NOT EXTENDED. ALL PUBLISHED EMER EXTENSION PROCS WERE ATTEMPTED BUT NONE WERE SUCCESSFUL. AN EMER LNDG WITH NOSE GEAR NOT EXTENDED WAS EXECUTED PER THE AFM PROC AND THE AIRPLANE LANDED WITH DAMAGE PRIMARILY TO THE PROP WHICH KEPT THE FUSELAGE FROM STRIKING THE RWY. FAA WAS NOTIFIED AND THE EVENT WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT. THE CAUSE OF THE GEAR FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE INABILITY OF THE NOSE STRUT TO COMPLETELY EXTEND IN ITS CYLINDER AND THEREFORE DID NOT STOW IN THE CORRECT POS IN THE WHEELWELL. THIS WAS ALSO THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT THAT WAS WITNESSED PREVIOUS TO THE INCIDENT FLT LEG. I FELT THAT SINCE THE GEAR HAD CYCLED SUCCESSFULLY TWICE THAT LIKELY THIS WAS AN INDICATOR PROB ESPECIALLY AFTER HAVING FOUND THE UPLOCK PROX SWITCH DIRTY WITH GREASE. I REMOVED THE GREASE WITH A RAG PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT FLT. NO OTHER MALFUNCTIONS WERE DETECTABLE IN THE NOSE GEAR WHEELWELL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.