What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
March 09, 2021 > aircraft was parked overnight on ramp at klou . Sometime between then and when crew arrived with passengers on March 10th the aircraft was repositioned by FBO line crew using a homemade tow pin.
The homemade tow pin is actually a modified socket extension. Because there was no flag on this pin, the flight crew did not see it during their pre-flight and subsequently departed klou for kcmh with this pin installed in the nose landing gear.
On approach into kcmh crew did not have a green light for nose gear and asked tower to verify gear position. Tower replied nose gear and gear doors were not down. Using their qrh the crew attempted to pump gear down with hand pump, but it did not work. Making second pass, the tower replied nose gear was still up, but the nose gear doors were down.
The crew departed the cmh area and did a series of speed turns in an attempt to get nose gear down and locked without success. At this point the crew declared an emergency and set up landing for runway 28L, briefed passengers and proceeded to land, nose gear up and power off on runway 28L.
Upon recovery of the aircraft on runway 28L the socket extension was discovered in the nose gear and resting on a switch which is attached to the left side of the wheel well thereby preventing the nose gear from extending.
As the FAA filed it
MARCH 09, 2021 > AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT ON RAMP AT KLOU . SOMETIME BETWEEN THEN AND WHEN CREW ARRIVED WITH PASSENGERS ON MARCH 10TH THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPOSITIONED BY FBO LINE CREW USING A HOMEMADE TOW PIN.
THE HOMEMADE TOW PIN IS ACTUALLY A MODIFIED SOCKET EXTENSION. BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FLAG ON THIS PIN, THE FLIGHT CREW DID NOT SEE IT DURING THEIR PRE-FLIGHT AND SUBSEQUENTLY DEPARTED KLOU FOR KCMH WITH THIS PIN INSTALLED IN THE NOSE LANDING GEAR.
ON APPROACH INTO KCMH CREW DID NOT HAVE A GREEN LIGHT FOR NOSE GEAR AND ASKED TOWER TO VERIFY GEAR POSITION. TOWER REPLIED NOSE GEAR AND GEAR DOORS WERE NOT DOWN. USING THEIR QRH THE CREW ATTEMPTED TO PUMP GEAR DOWN WITH HAND PUMP, BUT IT DID NOT WORK. MAKING SECOND PASS, THE TOWER REPLIED NOSE GEAR WAS STILL UP, BUT THE NOSE GEAR DOORS WERE DOWN.
THE CREW DEPARTED THE CMH AREA AND DID A SERIES OF SPEED TURNS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET NOSE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED WITHOUT SUCCESS. AT THIS POINT THE CREW DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND SET UP LANDING FOR RUNWAY 28L, BRIEFED PASSENGERS AND PROCEEDED TO LAND, NOSE GEAR UP AND POWER OFF ON RUNWAY 28L.
UPON RECOVERY OF THE AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 28L THE SOCKET EXTENSION WAS DISCOVERED IN THE NOSE GEAR AND RESTING ON A SWITCH WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WHEEL WELL THEREBY PREVENTING THE NOSE GEAR FROM EXTENDING.