Yikes

[vara5ab]

Well,
The other morning my gear alarm went off while taxiing out. It went off when I raised the rpms so it was acting as though I was in flight at low rpms with the gear still up. It was really cold and later it quit doing it and hasn't recurred in the few days since. Then two days ago I started to taxi and discovered that I had no rudder control over the nose gear - ended up having to use toe brakes to steer. The pedals were really loose with no resistance. Then - while in flight on approach - the gear wouldn't lower. It would get about half way and the breaker would pop. I kept horsing around with the breaker and cut some things off and eventually got the gear down without having to go to emergency procedures and landed.
Any ideas? This is a 1962 250.

[md11flyer]

Gees!!!
Not a good thing to be guessing on what is going on.......Have a mechanic
go over the entire gear....including the steering linkage !!!!

Sound like trouble x 2 with circuit breakers popping and steering linkage not working and micro switches not working!!!

In my honest opinion...this airplane isn't even safe for ferry flight!

Cheers, Gary

[N3322G]

Dear vara5ab,

Your Comanche is talking to you and not in a good way. If your gear horn is going off on taxi, I suggest parking the plane and getting a mechanic on it ASAP. I would not fly this plane, I would not taxi this plane.

Without any of these warning signs, the gear collapsed on my Twin this year. When it collapses, you have zero directional control and so you risk not just your life and anyone in the aircraft with you but everyone in the vicinity on the ground. It would be irresponsible to fly an aircraft in this condition in my opinion.

If you need help finding a mechanic qualified to assess and fix the problem(s), I suggest contacting the technical directors listed in the Flyer magazine. If you don't have it with you, it is on this site at http://www.comancheflyer.com/NS/index-flyersN.php

Hope to hear the happy ending.

[Zach Grant L1011jock]

Dear ? (it is always nice to have a name here),

Without seeing the plane, I would say you have some big nose gear issues! Your steering horn may have come loose, but if the gear horn and the steering is wierd, your nose gear linkage is probably extreamly loose. The nose gear down limit switch is the only switch that controls the gear horn (mains do not). Do not even move the plane until you have figured out what the issue is. As a matter of fact, I think I would put some jacks under the wings, and a jack stand on the tail just in case while trouble shooting.

Where are you located? I see you are a new member on the forum. Is this plane new to you? When was the gear last serviced? When was AD 77-13-21 completed? Are there 2 down lock assist springs on the nose gear (a Piper Kit that was part of AD 77-13-21, and should have been installed the first time it was done. It is a 1000 hr recurrent inspection. AD 77-13-21 also required Bungee replacement at 3 year or 500 hrs intervals. THERE ARE 2 PARTS TO THIS AD. Beware that the AD may be signed off incorrectly after just the bungees are done! SL 782B addresses the gear service and requirements of the 1000hr recurring portion of the AD) Are the wiring harnesses/switches original? Does the nose gear clevice have the reinforcement on it?

Worst case scenario, doing a complete gear service with all new hardware, conduits and wiring is going to run about $7K, but is so much cheaper than being on belly unexpectedly! If I can help, give me a call. 317.201.4293 cell. I am one of the ICS Technical Directors.

Zach

[vara5ab]

Zach,
I appreciate the info - from you and the other posts - I have the plane in the shop at this time. I plan to make sure the AD you mentioned has been properly attended.
I bought the plane a few months ago in early September. It had an annual done at that time. It has been flying really well so this has kinda blind-sided me. I hope it isn't anything big but, like you said, whatever has to be done to properly handle the problem is better than a belly-flop!
Thanks again,
David

[Kristin Winter]

David,

Does you shop really know Comanches? Much of the information on the landing gear system is pretty obscure in the maintenance manual and following the letter of the book leaves too much to chance. There are probably only a dozen or some mechanics in the country that really understand the landing gear system of the Comanche.

[vara5ab]

[N3322G]

[Kristin Winter]

[tomburke1]

[N3322G]

[vara5ab]

[Chuck 88P]

David, I totally agree with everyone that recommends having it done by someone with lots of Comanche experience.
But If you feel that you must do more work where you are, there are several very good references that enhance (but not replace) what the service manual will tell your mechanic. (The service manual is not straight forward to put it mildly, and will require multiple readings to have a chance). One is a dvd that Han's produced which shows the entire process including the cable conduit replacement. Han's asks $25 to cover his costs of production. You can find it by searching this site. The second is a picture filled manual stepping one through the conduit replacement, including gear alignment and rigging. It comes in a kit from ComancheGear. It costs $100 which includes probably $50 worth of nuts bolts and supplies that you will need to do the job anyway. My IA and I just used both of these tools to do this job, and believe me they were worth every cent. And I thought that I knew a good deal about the gear to start.
I wanted to learn how to do this right, and my IA who has worked with me for decades was interested enough (and kind enough) to supervise me closely as we went through it. Han's DVD is worth getting and reviewing just for your own better understanding and I recommend it to all. I do not recommend doing what I did unless you have some reason to want to know the very detailed and technical end of the maintenance. I am glad that I did it.

Chuck Rehlin
N9188P