King Air C90 E90
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 86; Flight Crew Total 2300; Flight Crew Type 73
Human-Machine Interface; Training / Qualification; Troubleshooting; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Gear Up Landing
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Diverted
Aircraft; Human Factors
The ceiling was 2800 feet; when we got below it we saw the airport and cancelled IFR; to do the visual approach to runway 18. We had a small amount of clear ice from the descent. I entered the downwind; and when I did the before landing checklist; I put the gear handle down; and the handle illuminated red; we also had no green lights. I stayed at pattern altitude; and began circling the airport to troubleshoot the gear issue. To make sure the indication of the red handle was correct; I did several things. I pulled the power levers back to a point at which the gear horn should sound; I put the flaps past approach; and I turned on the landing lights (which will give you an annunciator). All of which told me the gear was not down.I had seven passengers on board; all of which are Part 135 pilots. The passenger in the co-pilots seat was a Lear first officer. I decided to use him as a cockpit resource; and used CRM. I called for the Emergency Gear Extension Checklist; he pulled out the checklist; and we performed it. With him reading it; and I did the actions. We accomplished the checklist and still had the red handle light. So; I gave him the controls; and we continued to circle the airport. While he was flying; I read the checklist; and ensured proper completion of the items. We continued circling; and troubleshooting the issue.Since the checklist had not worked; I decided to clean up the airplane; and execute the Emergency Gear Extension Checklist again; to double check we had done it properly. At this time I took the controls back; and decided to divert to [a nearby towered airport that had] fire and rescue. En route we accomplished the checklist again; and still had the red light in the handle. When I would try to use the manual gear pump; there was no resistance. The other pilot tried pumping it; and had no resistance. At this time one of the passengers from the back came up front to try to assist; he is a Part 135 Citation Captain; he read the placard near the manual gear handle; and tried pumping it also. He had no resistance on the pump.I did two low passes over runway 17L; so the tower could look at the gear for us; they told us the gear was up. We were low on fuel at this point; and I did not want to risk a flameout. After the second pass; tower cleared me for a visual approach to land on 17R. I briefed the approach to my passenger in the co-pilots seat. I told him we were going to do a gear up landing; and that I would be feathering the props when we have ensured we are going to make the runway; and that when he sees that both props are feathering to pull both of the condition levers to cut off. So that the engines would not be running when we landed. At approximately 100 AGL; we had the runway made; I feathered the props; and he pulled the condition levers. We touched down centerline on runway 17R; we slid; and stayed centerline until we had almost stopped. Then the plane slid a little left of centerline; but stayed in the center of the runway. We evacuated the airplane as soon as we stopped. This happened last night; today maintenance explained to me that I had not properly turned the manual gear release handle. I read the checklist; and the placard next to the handle; which gives directions to release handle. I thought I had done it properly.Contributing Factors-Night-It was a long day; I had been up for almost 15 hours when this occurred-Minimum Fuel-I have not been to training where I physically did a manual gear extension in a king air in over 2 1/2 years. -I have gone to initial training for 3 other aircraft since I did the training for King Airs.
When the landing gear all failed to extend the pilot of a King Air went around to evaluate his situation; utilizing assistance from several deadheading pilots. When they were unable to extend the gear successfully by normal or emergency means they made a safe landing; minimizing damage to the greatest extent possible.