What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Aircraft departed bismarck ND bound for carefree AZ. The enroute IFR flight was uneventful. The pilot cancelled IFR and entered the pattern at carefree skyranch (18AZ). On downwind the pilot extended gear but got no indicator lights. He then cycled the handle and waited for the gear indicator lights to illuminate. No gear indication or flight profile change occurred during either of these gear handle cycle attempts. The pilot then decided to use the emergency nitrogen blow-down system to get the gear extended. The main gear extended and those lights gave indications of being down and locked, however the nose gear lights still did not illuminate. The pilot stated he could feel the main gear extend when he activated the nitrogen system. The pilot contacted personnel on the carefree airport to request they verify what gear was extended. He was informed that the main gear appeared extended, but the nose gear was not. The pilot made an assessment that it would be best to attempt a gear up landing at a larger airport to increase his chances of landing successfully. Other passengers in the aircraft were pilots and after reviewing their options the pilot decided to fly to Scottsdale Airport. The control tower was contacted and the pilot declared an emergency. The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 21 at Scottsdale. The pilot shut down the engine and landed with the nose gear still retracted. The configuration of the aircraft allowed for the main landing gear to function normally, and the aircraft nose was supported by two of the four blades of the prop. The aircraft slid on the runway surface on the blade tips of the propeller blades. The main gear tires and brakes responded normally and the aircraft was able to be controlled by normal braking action. It came to rest just off one of the taxiways. No part of the aircraft other than the main tires and prop blade tips ever came in contact with the ground. The pilot exited the aircraft after it stopped and attempted to move the nose gear from its retracted position. The gear did not move. The aircraft was removed from the runway area and moved to landmark aviation, a local maintenance facility. Maintenance personnel from the aircraft kit manufacturer (Epic aircraft) were called in to assist with determining the reason for the nose gear extension failure. During the inspection maintenance personnel found that the nose gear retract pressure hose had a pinhole leak, and had lost some of the system pressure in the hose while the electrically driven hydraulic pump operated. The system hydraulic fluid level holds a pint of fluid, and observing the fluid reservoir it appeared the reservoir was half full. Further investigation into the nose gear failure is ongoing at this time by Epic aircraft maintenance personnel and the hydraulic hose manufacturer.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED BISMARCK ND BOUND FOR CAREFREE AZ. THE ENROUTE IFR FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE PILOT CANCELLED IFR AND ENTERED THE PATTERN AT CAREFREE SKYRANCH (18AZ). ON DOWNWIND THE PILOT EXTENDED GEAR BUT GOT NO INDICATOR LIGHTS. HE THEN CYCLED THE HANDLE AND WAITED FOR THE GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. NO GEAR INDICATION OR FLIGHT PROFILE CHANGE OCCURRED DURING EITHER OF THESE GEAR HANDLE CYCLE ATTEMPTS. THE PILOT THEN DECIDED TO USE THE EMERGENCY NITROGEN BLOW-DOWN SYSTEM TO GET THE GEAR EXTENDED. THE MAIN GEAR EXTENDED AND THOSE LIGHTS GAVE INDICATIONS OF BEING DOWN AND LOCKED, HOWEVER THE NOSE GEAR LIGHTS STILL DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE PILOT STATED HE COULD FEEL THE MAIN GEAR EXTEND WHEN HE ACTIVATED THE NITROGEN SYSTEM. THE PILOT CONTACTED PERSONNEL ON THE CAREFREE AIRPORT TO REQUEST THEY VERIFY WHAT GEAR WAS EXTENDED. HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE MAIN GEAR APPEARED EXTENDED, BUT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT. THE PILOT MADE AN ASSESSMENT THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO ATTEMPT A GEAR UP LANDING AT A LARGER AIRPORT TO INCREASE HIS CHANCES OF LANDING SUCCESSFULLY. OTHER PASSENGERS IN THE AIRCRAFT WERE PILOTS AND AFTER REVIEWING THEIR OPTIONS THE PILOT DECIDED TO FLY TO SCOTTSDALE AIRPORT. THE CONTROL TOWER WAS CONTACTED AND THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 21 AT SCOTTSDALE. THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR STILL RETRACTED. THE CONFIGURATION OF THE AIRCRAFT ALLOWED FOR THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TO FUNCTION NORMALLY, AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WAS SUPPORTED BY TWO OF THE FOUR BLADES OF THE PROP. THE AIRCRAFT SLID ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE ON THE BLADE TIPS OF THE PROPELLER BLADES. THE MAIN GEAR TIRES AND BRAKES RESPONDED NORMALLY AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABLE TO BE CONTROLLED BY NORMAL BRAKING ACTION. IT CAME TO REST JUST OFF ONE OF THE TAXIWAYS. NO PART OF THE AIRCRAFT OTHER THAN THE MAIN TIRES AND PROP BLADE TIPS EVER CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER IT STOPPED AND ATTEMPTED TO MOVE THE NOSE GEAR FROM ITS RETRACTED POSITION. THE GEAR DID NOT MOVE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RUNWAY AREA AND MOVED TO LANDMARK AVIATION, A LOCAL MAINTENANCE FACILITY. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL FROM THE AIRCRAFT KIT MANUFACTURER (EPIC AIRCRAFT) WERE CALLED IN TO ASSIST WITH DETERMINING THE REASON FOR THE NOSE GEAR EXTENSION FAILURE. DURING THE INSPECTION MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL FOUND THAT THE NOSE GEAR RETRACT PRESSURE HOSE HAD A PINHOLE LEAK, AND HAD LOST SOME OF THE SYSTEM PRESSURE IN THE HOSE WHILE THE ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN HYDRAULIC PUMP OPERATED. THE SYSTEM HYDRAULIC FLUID LEVEL HOLDS A PINT OF FLUID, AND OBSERVING THE FLUID RESERVOIR IT APPEARED THE RESERVOIR WAS HALF FULL. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THE NOSE GEAR FAILURE IS ONGOING AT THIS TIME BY EPIC AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AND THE HYDRAULIC HOSE MANUFACTURER.