What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Private pilot with 708 hours, VFR departure from knoxville downtown island airport (kdkx) to Manassas regional/Harry p Davis field (khef) with VFR flight following for the route, arriving on sfra flight plan via fluky gate. Pilot was not properly certificated for the flight due to expired medical, however private pilot certificate and DC sfra training were satisfactory. Upon descent for arrival via the fluky gate, pilot was communicating with potomac approach. He monitored ATIS l for arrival at hef. In descent at approximately 5500 feet, he turned on landing lights and began having issues with radios. At this point he noticed unusual noise on radios and subsequently noticed that he did not have a ptt response in his noise cancelling headset and cockpit lights were getting dimmer. He attempted to change radios to communicate with approach, Manassas tower and guard (121.5) while staying below class b airspace for which he had not been cleared.
As he entered the Manassas class d airspace at an altitude less than 2000 feet, he attempted to extend the landing gear, noticed that everything went black but that there was no attitude change as he would expect with gear extension, so he wasn?t sure whether the gear had extended or not. He also noted that he could not extend the flaps.
Pilot indicates that he ?always flies by the numbers.? He was below 2000 feet and approaching a left downwind for the runway so was intent on flying his normal profile. Traffic pattern altitude for single engine airplanes is 1200 feet MSL which he viewed as a relatively low altitude at night. He had only his iphone and ipad to assist with situational awareness. He did not have communications and could not turn on runway lights but he could see the approach lights for rwy 16L. He attempted to crank down gear and was able to find emergency handle and give it several turns but indicates that he felt that at the relatively low altitude and with a dark cockpit he had to focus on flying the airplane to the possible detriment of ensuring complete manual gear extension. Unbeknown to him, the main gear was extended but the cycle was not complete; and the nose gear was either partially extended or not extended at all.
He considered diverting to other airports including dulles, but reasoned that the nearest suitable airport was Manassas, which was also his planned destination, and he was already in the pattern there. Therefore he decided to land. On rollout as he let the nose down, he discovered that the nose gear was not extended. He held the nose off as long as possible and directed the airplane toward the grass. Once the airplane was stopped, he evacuated and called several individuals for assistance.
As the FAA filed it
PRIVATE PILOT WITH 708 HOURS, VFR DEPARTURE FROM KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN ISLAND AIRPORT (KDKX) TO MANASSAS REGIONAL/HARRY P DAVIS FIELD (KHEF) WITH VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING FOR THE ROUTE, ARRIVING ON SFRA FLIGHT PLAN VIA FLUKY GATE. PILOT WAS NOT PROPERLY CERTIFICATED FOR THE FLIGHT DUE TO EXPIRED MEDICAL, HOWEVER PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE AND DC SFRA TRAINING WERE SATISFACTORY. UPON DESCENT FOR ARRIVAL VIA THE FLUKY GATE, PILOT WAS COMMUNICATING WITH POTOMAC APPROACH. HE MONITORED ATIS L FOR ARRIVAL AT HEF. IN DESCENT AT APPROXIMATELY 5500 FEET, HE TURNED ON LANDING LIGHTS AND BEGAN HAVING ISSUES WITH RADIOS. AT THIS POINT HE NOTICED UNUSUAL NOISE ON RADIOS AND SUBSEQUENTLY NOTICED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE A PTT RESPONSE IN HIS NOISE CANCELLING HEADSET AND COCKPIT LIGHTS WERE GETTING DIMMER. HE ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE RADIOS TO COMMUNICATE WITH APPROACH, MANASSAS TOWER AND GUARD (121.5) WHILE STAYING BELOW CLASS B AIRSPACE FOR WHICH HE HAD NOT BEEN CLEARED.
AS HE ENTERED THE MANASSAS CLASS D AIRSPACE AT AN ALTITUDE LESS THAN 2000 FEET, HE ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR, NOTICED THAT EVERYTHING WENT BLACK BUT THAT THERE WAS NO ATTITUDE CHANGE AS HE WOULD EXPECT WITH GEAR EXTENSION, SO HE WASN?T SURE WHETHER THE GEAR HAD EXTENDED OR NOT. HE ALSO NOTED THAT HE COULD NOT EXTEND THE FLAPS.
PILOT INDICATES THAT HE ?ALWAYS FLIES BY THE NUMBERS.? HE WAS BELOW 2000 FEET AND APPROACHING A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR THE RUNWAY SO WAS INTENT ON FLYING HIS NORMAL PROFILE. TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE FOR SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANES IS 1200 FEET MSL WHICH HE VIEWED AS A RELATIVELY LOW ALTITUDE AT NIGHT. HE HAD ONLY HIS IPHONE AND IPAD TO ASSIST WITH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. HE DID NOT HAVE COMMUNICATIONS AND COULD NOT TURN ON RUNWAY LIGHTS BUT HE COULD SEE THE APPROACH LIGHTS FOR RWY 16L. HE ATTEMPTED TO CRANK DOWN GEAR AND WAS ABLE TO FIND EMERGENCY HANDLE AND GIVE IT SEVERAL TURNS BUT INDICATES THAT HE FELT THAT AT THE RELATIVELY LOW ALTITUDE AND WITH A DARK COCKPIT HE HAD TO FOCUS ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE TO THE POSSIBLE DETRIMENT OF ENSURING COMPLETE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION. UNBEKNOWN TO HIM, THE MAIN GEAR WAS EXTENDED BUT THE CYCLE WAS NOT COMPLETE; AND THE NOSE GEAR WAS EITHER PARTIALLY EXTENDED OR NOT EXTENDED AT ALL.
HE CONSIDERED DIVERTING TO OTHER AIRPORTS INCLUDING DULLES, BUT REASONED THAT THE NEAREST SUITABLE AIRPORT WAS MANASSAS, WHICH WAS ALSO HIS PLANNED DESTINATION, AND HE WAS ALREADY IN THE PATTERN THERE. THEREFORE HE DECIDED TO LAND. ON ROLLOUT AS HE LET THE NOSE DOWN, HE DISCOVERED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED. HE HELD THE NOSE OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AND DIRECTED THE AIRPLANE TOWARD THE GRASS. ONCE THE AIRPLANE WAS STOPPED, HE EVACUATED AND CALLED SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS FOR ASSISTANCE.