What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 14th, 2014, privacy data omitted, a certificated pilot (privacy data omitted) with a commercial rating, performed a preflight inspection of N402JH, serial number 402C0500, a Cessna 402C which he was preparing for a flight to the Bahamas to pick up passengers. The registered owner of the aircraft is ldd air, LLC, operated by air flight, inc. a 14 CFR, part 135 operator providing an air charter service. Shortly after the preflight was concluded the pilot received clearance and taxied out to runway 10L at fort lauderdale international airport (kfll). The pilot stated everything was normal with the aircraft and he was cleared to take off.
privacy data omitted Stated as the aircraft lifted off the ground he could feel a small vibration coming from the pedals, and he thought it was the wheels spinning, he tapped the brakes and he could still feel the vibration after there was no more usable runway he retracted the gear. Looking at the landing gear indicator lights the pilot noticed the nose gear light indicator was green with the transit light and hydraulic annunciator still illuminated. As the aircraft climbed through 1000 feet and turning on course the pilot extended the gear in doing so he noticed the transit light and the hydraulic pump annunciator light were still illuminated, along with both main gear lights that were green however the nose wheel indicator was off. The pilot cycled through the gears several times with the same indication as before, it was then privacy data omitted notified air traffic controllers and informed them he was troubleshooting an issue and he then called the chief pilot of air flight inc. and reported the aircraft issue. The chief pilot privacy data omitted and the pilot decided to use the emergency gear extension, the pilot pulled the t-handle to use the nitrogen bottle, and there was no change on the gear indication light. The pilot and chief pilot decided to fly the aircraft to Opa Locka Airport and do a fly by to make sure the indication from the cockpit were correct. The pilot made one pass by the tower who reported the nose gear did not appear to be down but the main gears were down. The pilot then entered the Opa Locka traffic pattern for runway 12, once over the threshold he cut the engines and feathered the props, the main gears touched smoothly and props had stopped spinning. The props sustained minimal touch on the tarmac. The aircraft sustained minimal damage.
Prior to this flight the director of maintenance privacy data omitted, a & p certificate number privacy data omitted, was troubleshooting this aircraft attempting to find a small leak in the hydraulic system. He removed several hydraulic lines and fittings fearing there was a cracked line or cracked flared tubing. He replaced the lines and fittings using the illustrated parts catalog (ipc) from Cessna aircraft company ata 32-30-07 dated November 2, 1981. After careful observation it was clear to see for this inspector, the issue, the installation instruction and ipc did not provide the clarity in the drawing or narrative to properly re-assemble the lines and fittings that were previously removed consequently the lines were crossed when the aircraft initially departed for the Bahamas. There are three lines (1) pneumatic pressure line (2) retract line and (3) extend line.
Afterwards the aircraft was recovered and placed on hydraulic jack while at Opa Locka Airport mechanics did a gear swing after another attempt to get the lines right, the gears did extend and retract on command as they would have normally.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 14TH, 2014, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A CERTIFICATED PILOT (^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^) WITH A COMMERCIAL RATING, PERFORMED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OF N402JH, SERIAL NUMBER 402C0500, A CESSNA 402C WHICH HE WAS PREPARING FOR A FLIGHT TO THE BAHAMAS TO PICK UP PASSENGERS. THE REGISTERED OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT IS LDD AIR, LLC, OPERATED BY AIR FLIGHT, INC. A 14 CFR, PART 135 OPERATOR PROVIDING AN AIR CHARTER SERVICE. SHORTLY AFTER THE PREFLIGHT WAS CONCLUDED THE PILOT RECEIVED CLEARANCE AND TAXIED OUT TO RUNWAY 10L AT FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KFLL). THE PILOT STATED EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL WITH THE AIRCRAFT AND HE WAS CLEARED TO TAKE OFF.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED AS THE AIRCRAFT LIFTED OFF THE GROUND HE COULD FEEL A SMALL VIBRATION COMING FROM THE PEDALS, AND HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE WHEELS SPINNING, HE TAPPED THE BRAKES AND HE COULD STILL FEEL THE VIBRATION AFTER THERE WAS NO MORE USABLE RUNWAY HE RETRACTED THE GEAR. LOOKING AT THE LANDING GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS THE PILOT NOTICED THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT INDICATOR WAS GREEN WITH THE TRANSIT LIGHT AND HYDRAULIC ANNUNCIATOR STILL ILLUMINATED. AS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED THROUGH 1000 FEET AND TURNING ON COURSE THE PILOT EXTENDED THE GEAR IN DOING SO HE NOTICED THE TRANSIT LIGHT AND THE HYDRAULIC PUMP ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT WERE STILL ILLUMINATED, ALONG WITH BOTH MAIN GEAR LIGHTS THAT WERE GREEN HOWEVER THE NOSE WHEEL INDICATOR WAS OFF. THE PILOT CYCLED THROUGH THE GEARS SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE SAME INDICATION AS BEFORE, IT WAS THEN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NOTIFIED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AND INFORMED THEM HE WAS TROUBLESHOOTING AN ISSUE AND HE THEN CALLED THE CHIEF PILOT OF AIR FLIGHT INC. AND REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT ISSUE. THE CHIEF PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND THE PILOT DECIDED TO USE THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION, THE PILOT PULLED THE T-HANDLE TO USE THE NITROGEN BOTTLE, AND THERE WAS NO CHANGE ON THE GEAR INDICATION LIGHT. THE PILOT AND CHIEF PILOT DECIDED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT TO OPA LOCKA AIRPORT AND DO A FLY BY TO MAKE SURE THE INDICATION FROM THE COCKPIT WERE CORRECT. THE PILOT MADE ONE PASS BY THE TOWER WHO REPORTED THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT APPEAR TO BE DOWN BUT THE MAIN GEARS WERE DOWN. THE PILOT THEN ENTERED THE OPA LOCKA TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 12, ONCE OVER THE THRESHOLD HE CUT THE ENGINES AND FEATHERED THE PROPS, THE MAIN GEARS TOUCHED SMOOTHLY AND PROPS HAD STOPPED SPINNING. THE PROPS SUSTAINED MINIMAL TOUCH ON THE TARMAC. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINIMAL DAMAGE.
PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A & P CERTIFICATE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS TROUBLESHOOTING THIS AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTING TO FIND A SMALL LEAK IN THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. HE REMOVED SEVERAL HYDRAULIC LINES AND FITTINGS FEARING THERE WAS A CRACKED LINE OR CRACKED FLARED TUBING. HE REPLACED THE LINES AND FITTINGS USING THE ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG (IPC) FROM CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY ATA 32-30-07 DATED NOVEMBER 2, 1981. AFTER CAREFUL OBSERVATION IT WAS CLEAR TO SEE FOR THIS INSPECTOR, THE ISSUE, THE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTION AND IPC DID NOT PROVIDE THE CLARITY IN THE DRAWING OR NARRATIVE TO PROPERLY RE-ASSEMBLE THE LINES AND FITTINGS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY REMOVED CONSEQUENTLY THE LINES WERE CROSSED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT INITIALLY DEPARTED FOR THE BAHAMAS. THERE ARE THREE LINES (1) PNEUMATIC PRESSURE LINE (2) RETRACT LINE AND (3) EXTEND LINE.
AFTERWARDS THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED AND PLACED ON HYDRAULIC JACK WHILE AT OPA LOCKA AIRPORT MECHANICS DID A GEAR SWING AFTER ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO GET THE LINES RIGHT, THE GEARS DID EXTEND AND RETRACT ON COMMAND AS THEY WOULD HAVE NORMALLY.