What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Friday June 10, about 8:30AM MDT, the pilot and his wife took off in a Cessna TR182,privacy data omitted from greeley, co (kgxy) on an IFR flight plan to San Antonio international airport (ksat). After initial take-off, the pilot retracted the landing gear with no defects noted. Visual verification was also accomplished.
The flight to San Antonio from greeley was uneventful until the moment the pilot positioned the landing gear lever in the down position. Pilot did not get good down and locked position indication. Pilot ?press to test? The green light a few times to ensure that the bulb had not blown. Visual verification, revealed main gear were down, however, nose gear did not extend. This was verified with the wing mounted mirror.
With about 5 miles to go on final approach to runway 13R, pilot notified the control tower that he had a problem with his nose landing gear. Pilot requested for clearance to conduct a left 360 degree turn. Pilot attempted to complete a ?steep turn? To add increased g-factor and help to ?pull? The nose wheel out of its up position. Tower gave the clearance. Aircraft remained in the same condition. Pilot requested to do a ?low approach only? To provide the tower the opportunity to get a visual with binoculars to see if the tower could see anything that the pilot couldn?t see with his mirror. After the low approach, tower comes over the radio and says that they can clearly see that the nose gear was not down.
Pilot was then given clearance to join a left hand traffic pattern for runway 13R to continue to investigate and mitigate the problem. Pilot climbed back up to 3000 ft on the downwind leg. Pilot pushed the nose over to a pitched down attitude with increasing airspeed and decreasing altitude. Once I had over 130 knots of airspeed pilot pulled back on the yoke attempting to increase the g-factor again on the wheel to try to pull it down and out. Second attempt failed to extend nose gear.
Pilot obtained clearance to turn onto the left base leg for runway 13R and attempt a ?touch and go? Hoping to bounce the nose gear free. Pilot completed the touch and go as planned, tower comes on the radio again and says that they can see that attempt has failed and the wheel was still in the up position.
Pilot then informed the tower that he was going to make a full stop landing on his next attempt even if the wheel still had not come down. They agreed and sent the aircraft north to make right traffic for runway 22. Runway 22 was closed at the time. Tower informs pilot that ?ATC has declared an emergency on his behalf?. Pilot completed the before landing checklist and the emergency checklist chapter ?landing with a defective nose gear or flat tire?.
Pilot held off the nose of the airplane and waited to for the propeller to stop spinning. The plane came to a smooth stop without any changes to heading or direction. Both pilot and passenger egressed and walked to a safe distance. There were no injuries. Later inspection revealed the nose gear door latching mechanism had jammed when retracted. Once gear doors were manually opened, the nose gear deployed and locked as designed. Aircraft sustained minor damage to gear doors and engine exhaust pipe.
Further return to service to follow. Aircraft issued a special flight permit for futher repair.
As the FAA filed it
ON FRIDAY JUNE 10, ABOUT 8:30AM MDT, THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE TOOK OFF IN A CESSNA TR182,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FROM GREELEY, CO (KGXY) ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KSAT). AFTER INITIAL TAKE-OFF, THE PILOT RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR WITH NO DEFECTS NOTED. VISUAL VERIFICATION WAS ALSO ACCOMPLISHED.
THE FLIGHT TO SAN ANTONIO FROM GREELEY WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE MOMENT THE PILOT POSITIONED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER IN THE DOWN POSITION. PILOT DID NOT GET GOOD DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION INDICATION. PILOT ?PRESS TO TEST? THE GREEN LIGHT A FEW TIMES TO ENSURE THAT THE BULB HAD NOT BLOWN. VISUAL VERIFICATION, REVEALED MAIN GEAR WERE DOWN, HOWEVER, NOSE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. THIS WAS VERIFIED WITH THE WING MOUNTED MIRROR.
WITH ABOUT 5 MILES TO GO ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 13R, PILOT NOTIFIED THE CONTROL TOWER THAT HE HAD A PROBLEM WITH HIS NOSE LANDING GEAR. PILOT REQUESTED FOR CLEARANCE TO CONDUCT A LEFT 360 DEGREE TURN. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO COMPLETE A ?STEEP TURN? TO ADD INCREASED G-FACTOR AND HELP TO ?PULL? THE NOSE WHEEL OUT OF ITS UP POSITION. TOWER GAVE THE CLEARANCE. AIRCRAFT REMAINED IN THE SAME CONDITION. PILOT REQUESTED TO DO A ?LOW APPROACH ONLY? TO PROVIDE THE TOWER THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A VISUAL WITH BINOCULARS TO SEE IF THE TOWER COULD SEE ANYTHING THAT THE PILOT COULDN?T SEE WITH HIS MIRROR. AFTER THE LOW APPROACH, TOWER COMES OVER THE RADIO AND SAYS THAT THEY CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN.
PILOT WAS THEN GIVEN CLEARANCE TO JOIN A LEFT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 13R TO CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE AND MITIGATE THE PROBLEM. PILOT CLIMBED BACK UP TO 3000 FT ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. PILOT PUSHED THE NOSE OVER TO A PITCHED DOWN ATTITUDE WITH INCREASING AIRSPEED AND DECREASING ALTITUDE. ONCE I HAD OVER 130 KNOTS OF AIRSPEED PILOT PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE ATTEMPTING TO INCREASE THE G-FACTOR AGAIN ON THE WHEEL TO TRY TO PULL IT DOWN AND OUT. SECOND ATTEMPT FAILED TO EXTEND NOSE GEAR.
PILOT OBTAINED CLEARANCE TO TURN ONTO THE LEFT BASE LEG FOR RUNWAY 13R AND ATTEMPT A ?TOUCH AND GO? HOPING TO BOUNCE THE NOSE GEAR FREE. PILOT COMPLETED THE TOUCH AND GO AS PLANNED, TOWER COMES ON THE RADIO AGAIN AND SAYS THAT THEY CAN SEE THAT ATTEMPT HAS FAILED AND THE WHEEL WAS STILL IN THE UP POSITION.
PILOT THEN INFORMED THE TOWER THAT HE WAS GOING TO MAKE A FULL STOP LANDING ON HIS NEXT ATTEMPT EVEN IF THE WHEEL STILL HAD NOT COME DOWN. THEY AGREED AND SENT THE AIRCRAFT NORTH TO MAKE RIGHT TRAFFIC FOR RUNWAY 22. RUNWAY 22 WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME. TOWER INFORMS PILOT THAT ?ATC HAS DECLARED AN EMERGENCY ON HIS BEHALF?. PILOT COMPLETED THE BEFORE LANDING CHECKLIST AND THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST CHAPTER ?LANDING WITH A DEFECTIVE NOSE GEAR OR FLAT TIRE?.
PILOT HELD OFF THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE AND WAITED TO FOR THE PROPELLER TO STOP SPINNING. THE PLANE CAME TO A SMOOTH STOP WITHOUT ANY CHANGES TO HEADING OR DIRECTION. BOTH PILOT AND PASSENGER EGRESSED AND WALKED TO A SAFE DISTANCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. LATER INSPECTION REVEALED THE NOSE GEAR DOOR LATCHING MECHANISM HAD JAMMED WHEN RETRACTED. ONCE GEAR DOORS WERE MANUALLY OPENED, THE NOSE GEAR DEPLOYED AND LOCKED AS DESIGNED. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO GEAR DOORS AND ENGINE EXHAUST PIPE.
FURTHER RETURN TO SERVICE TO FOLLOW. AIRCRAFT ISSUED A SPECIAL FLIGHT PERMIT FOR FUTHER REPAIR.