What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Narrative: the airplane took off from sus and climbed to 1500'. The tower gave a frequency change to the pilot to contact st. Louis app/dep control for the purpose of performing practice instrument approaches. Upon the frequency change communication capability was lost followed shortly after with an electrical system failure. The pilot was accompanied with another certificated pilot who performed assistance with the situation that was occurring. Without electrical power the landing gear required manual extension. When the occupants of the airplane attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency extension procedures in the aircraft flight manual nothing happened. The pilot was unable to extend the gear and reentered the airport traffic area at an altitude necessary to avoid other aircraft in the traffic pattern. They awaited for the appropriate light signal. After receiving a flashing red and green light the pilot made a couple of practice approaches to establish the best configuration for landing without the gear extended. The final approach and landing was on runway 8R with the landing gear in a retracted position. When the airplane was slight lifted off the runway the emergency extension dump valve was opened and the landing gear fell from the wheel wells as the system was intended to operate. The airplane was hangared, lifted on jacks and the landing gear was cycled both normally and using the manual/emergency procedures. Each attempt to operate the landing gear was successful. No anomalies occurred during any of the extensions or retractions. The hydraulic fluid was drained and checked for contamination and none was found. The manufacturer of the airplane was contacted by iic to inquire if they were aware of any similar occurrences. The tech representative stated that he vaguely remembers hearing of a similar occurrence and that to the best of his recollection the conclusion was that it was believed that the pilot may not have pushed hard enough to open the dump valve in hydraulic system to relieve pressure to the landing gear actuators. privacy data omitted
As the FAA filed it
NARRATIVE: THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF FROM SUS AND CLIMBED TO 1500'. THE TOWER GAVE A FREQUENCY CHANGE TO THE PILOT TO CONTACT ST. LOUIS APP/DEP CONTROL FOR THE PURPOSE OF PERFORMING PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES. UPON THE FREQUENCY CHANGE COMMUNICATION CAPABILITY WAS LOST FOLLOWED SHORTLY AFTER WITH AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. THE PILOT WAS ACCOMPANIED WITH ANOTHER CERTIFICATED PILOT WHO PERFORMED ASSISTANCE WITH THE SITUATION THAT WAS OCCURRING. WITHOUT ELECTRICAL POWER THE LANDING GEAR REQUIRED MANUAL EXTENSION. WHEN THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRPLANE ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR USING THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION PROCEDURES IN THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL NOTHING HAPPENED. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR AND REENTERED THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC AREA AT AN ALTITUDE NECESSARY TO AVOID OTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. THEY AWAITED FOR THE APPROPRIATE LIGHT SIGNAL. AFTER RECEIVING A FLASHING RED AND GREEN LIGHT THE PILOT MADE A COUPLE OF PRACTICE APPROACHES TO ESTABLISH THE BEST CONFIGURATION FOR LANDING WITHOUT THE GEAR EXTENDED. THE FINAL APPROACH AND LANDING WAS ON RUNWAY 8R WITH THE LANDING GEAR IN A RETRACTED POSITION. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS SLIGHT LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION DUMP VALVE WAS OPENED AND THE LANDING GEAR FELL FROM THE WHEEL WELLS AS THE SYSTEM WAS INTENDED TO OPERATE. THE AIRPLANE WAS HANGARED, LIFTED ON JACKS AND THE LANDING GEAR WAS CYCLED BOTH NORMALLY AND USING THE MANUAL/EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. EACH ATTEMPT TO OPERATE THE LANDING GEAR WAS SUCCESSFUL. NO ANOMALIES OCCURRED DURING ANY OF THE EXTENSIONS OR RETRACTIONS. THE HYDRAULIC FLUID WAS DRAINED AND CHECKED FOR CONTAMINATION AND NONE WAS FOUND. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE AIRPLANE WAS CONTACTED BY IIC TO INQUIRE IF THEY WERE AWARE OF ANY SIMILAR OCCURRENCES. THE TECH REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT HE VAGUELY REMEMBERS HEARING OF A SIMILAR OCCURRENCE AND THAT TO THE BEST OF HIS RECOLLECTION THE CONCLUSION WAS THAT IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE PILOT MAY NOT HAVE PUSHED HARD ENOUGH TO OPEN THE DUMP VALVE IN HYDRAULIC SYSTEM TO RELIEVE PRESSURE TO THE LANDING GEAR ACTUATORS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^