Aerospace Safety Available to Purchase

A Piper Navajo Chieftain took off for a return flight to Filton from Hawarden. After take‐off, the gear retracted normally, but simultaneously both the pilot and his assistant noted a “paraffin”‐type smell which they could not identify, but which quickly disappeared. The approach to Filton was normal until the aircraft intercepted the glide slope at 1,500ft. At this point the pilot selected the gear down and asked his assistant to read the prelanding checks; however, although the movement of the gear lever felt normal, the pilot noticed that neither the near nor the gear‐down lights had illuminated. Additionally, the gear lever had not returned to the neutral position and the pilot had not seen or felt any indication that the gear had moved. After an unsuccessful attempt to recycle the gear, the pilot initiated a go‐around and informed air traffic control that he had a gear problem. With ATC assistance the pilot then established a racetrack pattern in VMC (visual meteorological conditions) at 2,500ft. For the next hour he attempted to lower the gear using normal emergency procedures. During this time he also established a radio link to discuss the problems with an aircraft engineer, but all attempts to lower the gear were unsuccessful. At no time was there any indication that the gear had moved.