PA-44 Seminole/Turbo Seminole
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 125; Flight Crew Total 675; Flight Crew Type 125
Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Training / Qualification; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Aircraft Equipment Problem Dissipated; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Declared Emergency; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Company Policy
I was asked by one of our Maintenance personnel to ferry an aircraft to a maintenance facility from our home base. The Aircraft had not flown for an extended period of time after having received an annual inspection and an interior remodel. There was further maintenance done on the aircraft at that time as well. I was the last person to fly the aircraft before it was removed from service when the Left Engine experienced mechanical trouble. This was several months ago. The purpose of the ferry flight was to get the left engine overhauled. Another company aircraft was going to fly to that airport as well to pick me up after I dropped the Seminole off. When I first got to the aircraft I did a thorough pre-flight which included a detailed inspection of the landing gear. I inspected all of the switches; the hydraulic lines; hydraulic  cylinders; etc. They all appeared to be in great condition. I noted that they even looked better than when the aircraft was still flying on line. After the pre-flight I got in the cockpit and noticed that the pilot side seat would not adjust. I could not move it forward. A maintenance personnel inspected it and found that it was missing a cable that allowed it to be adjusted. The flight was time sensitive so he advised that I sit in the right seat for the flight. The other aircraft that was accompanying me had to return to the ramp for a transponder failure. So we were further delayed while he got a different aircraft. When I attempted to start the engines I started with the Left engine. After a priming procedures I hit the starter and the prop turned one to two times then stopped. The battery appeared to be dead. The same mechanic came out and tried to jump-start my aircraft; however the external power adapter or port was not working correctly. To correct the problem he removed the cowling over the nose and hooked up the jumper cables directly to the battery. I started the left engine successfully. After several minutes of letting both engines and alternators run I felt that the battery had been successfully recharged. I taxied for run-up at the designated area and received my IFR clearance. During the run-up the left engine would not get past 2200 RPM and make very loud 'noises' It was struggling to get above 2200 rpm so I opted to return to the ramp. As I started my taxi the engine started to work normally again. So I returned to the run-up area and did another five minutes of run-up testing on the left engine and noted that it was working in optimal condition; achieving full power with no issue. At all times all engine gauges read 'in the green'  and all gear lights read in the down position. After takeoff I contacted Approach for my climbing instructions. I was vectored west when I noticed that my right main gear indicator still read in the down position even though I had retracted the gear. I immediately informed South Approach Controller and requested to return to the departure airport. While en-route I tried to bring the gear back to the down position. When I moved the gear selector to 'down' the left main gear came down successfully and the right main was already 'down'. The nose gear however; did not come down fully and the light did not come one indicating down. I looked in the mirror on the left engine cowling and noticed that the nose gear was only half -way down. It appeared to be at a 45 degree angle between down and up with no additional movement. At this point I informed the Tower of the problem and they cleared me to land on Runway 29. I told them I needed to circle and troubleshoot the problem. I checked the circuit breakers and the handle again then pulled the emergency gear extension knob. The left and right main stayed down and indicated as such. However; I noticed no movement from the nose gear toward the down position. At this point I was at about 85kts (below the recommended speed for emergency gear extension). After a series of abrupt movements; the nose gear appeared to be down. While I was circling at 1000 feet the nose gear appeared; at times; to be down; and at other times it appeared to be slightly retracted. Due to the size of the mirror this could have just been a misjudgment on my part. However; at no time did the nose gear indicating light ever indicate that the nose was 'down'. The Gear unsafe light stayed on persistently and even after recommended troubleshooting steps I never received a 'gear down' indication from the nose gear light. After a Maintenance person and our company owner went up to the Tower; they advised me that the gear looked down and asked me to attempt a soft touch-and-go on the 'mains' only; so that the nose gear would not touch the ground and we could observe it after applying the g-load of a touchdown. I initially hesitated because I had never attempted such a maneuver; but admitted that I believed I could accomplish it successfully. After setting up for a left downwind for Runway 29 I proceeded to make a normal landing without the use of flaps to help ensure a soft touchdown. Over the runway threshold I brought the power back just slightly above idle and let the aircraft float for about 500 feet before the mains touched down. I applied a little extra back-pressure and the plane briefly became airborne again before touching again on the mains. After that second touchdown I applied full power and went around. The nose wheel never touched the ground during this first landing. After another traffic pattern I advised Tower I was going to make the next landing a full stop. I observed the fire trucks and ambulance personnel on standby. I made the next landing without the use of flaps again and made a soft touchdown while holding the nose gear off as long as possible. The nose touched down as normal and I gently rolled to a stop on the runway. I shut down the engines as instructed and attempted to get out of the plane when I noticed the interior door latch had broken and I was stuck inside the aircraft. The fireman had to come let me out from the outside. After Maintenance personnel inspected the gear and found it safe I taxied back to the ramp. After touchdown the nose gear light came on indicating the gear was down. During a gear inspection the next day; Maintenance personnel noted no abnormalities in the gear system; operation; or indicators.
A PA44 Pilot departed on a ferry flight in an aircraft which had not flown for some time and found the nose landing gear did not retract. After troubleshooting; a practice landing and Maintenance's inflight assistance a normal landing was completed.