What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
06/21/2022 - The pilot in command (PIC) of a Rockwell commander 114, registration privacy data omitted, took off from Kona international airport (koa) and flew to waimea and conducted a successful touch and go and was setting up for another when he noticed that his landing gear was not responding. He recycled the gear with no response. He then flew back to koa and did a low approach and the tower confirmed the gear was partially deployed. The PIC also tried a manual deployment and did not get a response.
8:45AM HST the PIC made an emergency landing at koa on a partially deployed gear. The aircraft immediately veered left off the runway and came to rest in the gravel. ARFF was on scene and assisted the owner in relocating the aircraft off the active. During the retrieval process a local mechanic activated the emergency gear extension and, extended the landing gears and towed the aircraft to its tiedown spot.
06/22/2022 - Conducted onsite investigation, documented crash site, aircraft, and aircraft records. Noted the last aircraft annual was on 03/05/2021, at the time of this accident the aircraft was almost three months out of annual inspection. Compliance philosophy brochure issued, poi privacy data omitted notified.
06/23/2022 - NTSB investigator privacy data omitted classified this occurrence as an accident based off pictures provided.
07/12/2022 - Conducted gear swing inspection with mechanic at koa. Retractable landing gear system verified inoperative, cycled the landing gear selector and the gear did not move up or down but relay operation was audibly noted. The mechanic tapped on the electric motor that drives the landing gear hydraulic pump, nothing happened. He then checked that power was getting to the relay and found it was functioning properly. He then bypassed the relay and supplied power to the motor direct with but did not get any movement out of it.
The mechanic pulled the brushes of the electric motor that drives the hydraulic gear retraction system and noted excessive brush wear, the brush he pulled out fell apart on removal. Removed the electric motor and noted the remaining brush also had excessive brush wear as well as buildup of brush dust and hydraulic fluid on the shaft, armature, and in the stator. Shaft was also excessively worn. Spun the shaft that is attached to the hydraulic pump and it spun freely. Troubleshot right main landing gear position indicator light not showing down and locked, found broken ground wire.
Reviewed the POH for standard and emergency procedures and system descriptions and noted multiple missing pages.
Landing gear system description stated:
?The emergency dump valve bypasses fluid from the up side of the hydraulic actuators (which form the hydraulic uplock) directly to the reservoir, the gears then drop by gravity, assisted by down springs. With the emergency dump valve in the down position , the gear will not retract because the pressure is being relieved through the dump valve back to the reservoir and not to the hydraulic cylinders.?
In review of the initial PIC interview notes and followup interview with poi garrison he mentioned "pumping the emergency gear extension" which is not how this system works.
An amendment may be necessary once an eir case number is assigned.
As the FAA filed it
06/21/2022 - THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) OF A ROCKWELL COMMANDER 114, REGISTRATION ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, TOOK OFF FROM KONA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KOA) AND FLEW TO WAIMEA AND CONDUCTED A SUCCESSFUL TOUCH AND GO AND WAS SETTING UP FOR ANOTHER WHEN HE NOTICED THAT HIS LANDING GEAR WAS NOT RESPONDING. HE RECYCLED THE GEAR WITH NO RESPONSE. HE THEN FLEW BACK TO KOA AND DID A LOW APPROACH AND THE TOWER CONFIRMED THE GEAR WAS PARTIALLY DEPLOYED. THE PIC ALSO TRIED A MANUAL DEPLOYMENT AND DID NOT GET A RESPONSE.
8:45AM HST THE PIC MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT KOA ON A PARTIALLY DEPLOYED GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY VEERED LEFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST IN THE GRAVEL. ARFF WAS ON SCENE AND ASSISTED THE OWNER IN RELOCATING THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE ACTIVE. DURING THE RETRIEVAL PROCESS A LOCAL MECHANIC ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION AND, EXTENDED THE LANDING GEARS AND TOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO ITS TIEDOWN SPOT.
06/22/2022 - CONDUCTED ONSITE INVESTIGATION, DOCUMENTED CRASH SITE, AIRCRAFT, AND AIRCRAFT RECORDS. NOTED THE LAST AIRCRAFT ANNUAL WAS ON 03/05/2021, AT THE TIME OF THIS ACCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALMOST THREE MONTHS OUT OF ANNUAL INSPECTION. COMPLIANCE PHILOSOPHY BROCHURE ISSUED, POI ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NOTIFIED.
06/23/2022 - NTSB INVESTIGATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CLASSIFIED THIS OCCURRENCE AS AN ACCIDENT BASED OFF PICTURES PROVIDED.
07/12/2022 - CONDUCTED GEAR SWING INSPECTION WITH MECHANIC AT KOA. RETRACTABLE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM VERIFIED INOPERATIVE, CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR AND THE GEAR DID NOT MOVE UP OR DOWN BUT RELAY OPERATION WAS AUDIBLY NOTED. THE MECHANIC TAPPED ON THE ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT DRIVES THE LANDING GEAR HYDRAULIC PUMP, NOTHING HAPPENED. HE THEN CHECKED THAT POWER WAS GETTING TO THE RELAY AND FOUND IT WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. HE THEN BYPASSED THE RELAY AND SUPPLIED POWER TO THE MOTOR DIRECT WITH BUT DID NOT GET ANY MOVEMENT OUT OF IT.
THE MECHANIC PULLED THE BRUSHES OF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT DRIVES THE HYDRAULIC GEAR RETRACTION SYSTEM AND NOTED EXCESSIVE BRUSH WEAR, THE BRUSH HE PULLED OUT FELL APART ON REMOVAL. REMOVED THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND NOTED THE REMAINING BRUSH ALSO HAD EXCESSIVE BRUSH WEAR AS WELL AS BUILDUP OF BRUSH DUST AND HYDRAULIC FLUID ON THE SHAFT, ARMATURE, AND IN THE STATOR. SHAFT WAS ALSO EXCESSIVELY WORN. SPUN THE SHAFT THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE HYDRAULIC PUMP AND IT SPUN FREELY. TROUBLESHOT RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR POSITION INDICATOR LIGHT NOT SHOWING DOWN AND LOCKED, FOUND BROKEN GROUND WIRE.
REVIEWED THE POH FOR STANDARD AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND SYSTEM DESCRIPTIONS AND NOTED MULTIPLE MISSING PAGES.
LANDING GEAR SYSTEM DESCRIPTION STATED:
?THE EMERGENCY DUMP VALVE BYPASSES FLUID FROM THE UP SIDE OF THE HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS (WHICH FORM THE HYDRAULIC UPLOCK) DIRECTLY TO THE RESERVOIR, THE GEARS THEN DROP BY GRAVITY, ASSISTED BY DOWN SPRINGS. WITH THE EMERGENCY DUMP VALVE IN THE DOWN POSITION , THE GEAR WILL NOT RETRACT BECAUSE THE PRESSURE IS BEING RELIEVED THROUGH THE DUMP VALVE BACK TO THE RESERVOIR AND NOT TO THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS.?
IN REVIEW OF THE INITIAL PIC INTERVIEW NOTES AND FOLLOWUP INTERVIEW WITH POI GARRISON HE MENTIONED "PUMPING THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION" WHICH IS NOT HOW THIS SYSTEM WORKS.
AN AMENDMENT MAY BE NECESSARY ONCE AN EIR CASE NUMBER IS ASSIGNED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.