Chautauqua landing gear problem at CMH this morning

[secretapproach]

Was listening to a CMH feed at liveatc.net this morning. At around 9:45am local a Chautauqua flight took off, then asked to come back to land because they couldn't get the landing gear to come up. I guess if you're going to have a gear problem that's the kind you want. Tower asked them if they would need any assistance on landing; they said it would be a normal landing. The callsign sounded like Chautauqua 9000 but that feed monitors multiple frequencies so sometimes it's confusing.

[chrisdahut1]

Hmmm...first flight of the morning (possibly)....landing gear doesn't come up...hmmm better hope it's not what Im thinking it might be.

[Mr_Creepy]

[ QUOTE ]
Hmmm...first flight of the morning (possibly)....landing gear doesn't come up...hmmm better hope it's not what Im thinking it might be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it could be the safety switch. I sure hope it isn't the gear pins!

[lgafo]

CHQ 9000 is the callsign used for MX test flights. I'm sure thats what it was.

[mrivc211]

Hahahahha..............it's the gear pins!

Someones gonna have a week off paid vacation!

I shouldn't laugh but its such a simple thing to check on the pre flight.

[AZBigDog]

wouldn't the gear pins normally be written up in the flight logbook when installed? I know that's the requirement where I work. (opened fan cowls too)

AZ

[Bandit_Driver]

Making a write up in the LB when pins are installed is pretty much a company procedure thing. At my airline we don't make any note in the book when they are installed. Sometime the FO's are nice a leave on note in the cockpit ot remind the next crew. They usually aren't missed since they have huge orange flags hanging off them. I can see how they can be missed if mx used their gear pins which usally don't have the nice orange flags on them...

[Kingairer]

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CHQ 9000 is the callsign used for MX test flights. I'm sure thats what it was.

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And repos, and Charters.

[Kingairer]

[ QUOTE ]
Hahahahha..............it's the gear pins!

Someones gonna have a week off paid vacation!

I shouldn't laugh but its such a simple thing to check on the pre flight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Funny Funny...Guess its like running the batteries down? Dont laugh it could be you tommorrow.

[chrisdahut1]

[ QUOTE ]
Hahahahha..............it's the gear pins!

Someones gonna have a week off paid vacation!

I shouldn't laugh but its such a simple thing to check on the pre flight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, Im gonna go ahead and admit that I actually did forget to take them out (yes, all three) last week. I managed to go a whole month after IOE not once taking an aircraft on its first flight of the morning and had, well, got complacent in that regard. Fortunetly it was caught long before we even closed the cabin door, but the prospect of what could have happened had they been left in was sobering to say the least. I'm still on probation, and could have lost my job rather then getting time off. But hey....I learnt a valuable practical lesson that day on why we run checklists!

Oh, and those orange flags are fairly useless after they get gunked up with oil and grease and get wrapped around a spring!

[stuckingfk]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hahahahha..............it's the gear pins!

Someones gonna have a week off paid vacation!

I shouldn't laugh but its such a simple thing to check on the pre flight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, Im gonna go ahead and admit that I actually did forget to take them out (yes, all three) last week. I managed to go a whole month after IOE not once taking an aircraft on its first flight of the morning and had, well, got complacent in that regard. Fortunetly it was caught long before we even closed the cabin door, but the prospect of what could have happened had they been left in was sobering to say the least. I'm still on probation, and could have lost my job rather then getting time off. But hey....I learnt a valuable practical lesson that day on why we run checklists!

Oh, and those orange flags are fairly useless after they get gunked up with oil and grease and get wrapped around a spring!

[/ QUOTE ]

Why are these pins put in?

[mrivc211]

Theres been heavy debate at our company about doing something about it because our guys are also forgetting to check them. i've honestly heard so much about them the past 2 months that I'm peranoid about leaving them in. So I check them on EVERY preflight even on a quick turn! That way it will NEVER happen.

[chrisdahut1]

[ QUOTE ]
Theres been heavy debate at our company about doing something about it because our guys are also forgetting to check them. i've honestly heard so much about them the past 2 months that I'm peranoid about leaving them in. So I check them on EVERY preflight even on a quick turn! That way it will NEVER happen.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ive been doing the same thing now. Even if I start the preflight knowing full well that they are out (such as on through flight), I'll make a point to look at the gear pin holes.

As for the purpose of the gear pins- it's an additional precaution that prevent the gear from being Inadvertently raised while sitting on the ground. Unfortunetly if you leave them in, they stop the gear from coming up once airborne too.

[pscraig]

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Why are these pins put in?

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Three of the pins are inserted in the landing gear to prevent their retraction during maintenance. The fourth is used to prevent the nosewheel doors from closing, and is inside a hydraulic access panel and not readily visible unless you open the panel. There is an avionics bay above the nosewheel compartment, and pinning the door open is safer for whoever is up in there.

[AZBigDog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Theres been heavy debate at our company about doing something about it because our guys are also forgetting to check them. i've honestly heard so much about them the past 2 months that I'm peranoid about leaving them in. So I check them on EVERY preflight even on a quick turn! That way it will NEVER happen.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ive been doing the same thing now. Even if I start the preflight knowing full well that they are out (such as on through flight), I'll make a point to look at the gear pin holes.

As for the purpose of the gear pins- it's an additional precaution that prevent the gear from being Inadvertently raised while sitting on the ground. Unfortunetly if you leave them in, they stop the gear from coming up once airborne too.

[/ QUOTE ]

In my experience, the installing of gear pins is normally associated with some sort of maintenance function occuring in the aircraft. This is normally entered in the logbook and the pins are removed at the end of the maintenance function and the logbook signed off by the maintenance tech..

I've never really heard of gear pins being installed between flights such as in a quick turn situation, but perhaps each company has its own set of rules.

AZ

[chrisdahut1]

It's company requirement for us to put them in on the last flight of the day (overnight) and then take them out on the first flight of the day. I was just saying that I'll look for them even during a through flight walk around just to get in to the habit.

[AZBigDog]

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It's company requirement for us to put them in on the last flight of the day (overnight) and then take them out on the first flight of the day. I was just saying that I'll look for them even during a through flight walk around just to get in to the habit.

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Good idea!!