Gear Down and Locked — Or Is It?
A Piper Arrow's landing gear won't confirm extension on approach to a water-surrounded airport — gear-up landing, ditching, or a go-around to troubleshoot?
The scenario
Departing Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St. Petersburg, FL — Runway 07, on a local 1-hour cross-country flight. Elevation 7 ft MSL. The runway is essentially at sea level.
It is a clear, calm Florida afternoon: OAT 26°C, altimeter 29.96, light and variable winds. Visibility 10+ SM. Perfect VFR conditions. You are returning to KSPG after a 45-minute flight to a nearby field and back. The approach is straightforward — descend, enter the Class D pattern, and land.
Aircraft: Piper PA-28R (Arrow), solo, full fuel, within limits. Lycoming IO-360 (fuel-injected), constant-speed prop, retractable gear. The airplane was serviced yesterday; the last maintenance entry was a routine 100-hour inspection. Nothing was written up. The airplane was airworthy at departure.
Pilot: you — a Commercial pilot, current, roughly 400 hours total, with 120 hours in complex aircraft (retractable gear, constant-speed prop). You have flown this Arrow 15 times. You are familiar with KSPG.
You are on a 5-mile final approach to Runway 07, descending through 800 ft AGL at 90 KIAS, gear down and locked (or so you believe). The landing is in sight. Then you notice the gear-down indicator lights on the panel: the right main gear light is AMBER (unsafe indication), not green. The nose gear and left main are green. The right main is not confirming down and locked.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KSPG · Albert Whitted'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '7/25 · 18/36'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '7 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'PA-28R'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Landing / Takeoff'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you already know about landing gear malfunctions in the Piper Arrow? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB CEN23LA417 (2023): A Piper PA-28RT-201 experienced partial retraction of the right main and nose landing gear during landing rollout. The cause could not be determined despite extensive testing. The aircraft exited the runway. The probable cause was listed as 'partial retraction of the landing gear for undetermined reasons.' This scenario — a gear indication issue on approach — is the precursor to this accident.
NTSB WPR22LA040 (2021): A Piper PA-28R-200 had a right main landing gear that would not extend during approach. The pilot landed on the left main and nose gear. The cause was an improper right main landing gear door rod-end bolt installed during maintenance, which prevented the gear from extending. The airplane landed on two wheels and veered off the runway. The pilot survived.
NTSB ERA15LA289 (2015): A Piper PA-28R-180 experienced an unsafe nose gear indication on approach. The pilot performed emergency extension procedures. The cause was undetected fatigue cracks in the nose gear strut mount assembly, which prevented proper gear alignment after extension. The pilot lost directional control during landing and the airplane veered off the runway.
NTSB CEN11LA418 (2011): A Piper PA-28R-201 made a wheels-up landing after the landing gear power pack motor failed. The pilot did not use the emergency extension system. The airplane landed on the fuselage. The probable cause was 'the pilot's failure to use the emergency landing gear extension system.' This is the most critical lesson: the emergency extension system exists for exactly this scenario.
The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft — NOT at Albert Whitted Airport. KSPG has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns: 20% loss of control inflight, 16.4% forced landing, 12.7% ditching). The scenario is localized to KSPG to make the off-field environment real: off Runway 07, the environment is open water (Tampa Bay). A gear-up landing on Runway 07 is survivable; an engine failure off Runway 07 after a go-around is a ditching.
The consistent thread across all these events: landing gear malfunctions in the Piper Arrow are often subtle — an amber light, a momentary indication glitch, or a mechanical issue that does not immediately fail the entire system. The pilot's response determines the outcome. A go-around to troubleshoot, a gear recycle, or emergency extension can resolve the issue. A continued approach with an unsafe indication leads to a gear-up landing and a runway excursion.
Key lesson — In the Piper Arrow, an unsafe landing gear indication on approach is a signal to go around, troubleshoot, and attempt emergency extension — not to continue the approach and hope the gear is down. The emergency extension system is not a last resort; it is a tool to be used when the power system is uncertain. A gear-up landing on two wheels is survivable if the airplane is on the ground, but it is a significant accident. The decision to go around at 800 ft AGL is the difference between a normal landing and a runway excursion.
Debrief — teaching points
An AMBER gear light is an UNSAFE indication — not a maybe.
In the Piper Arrow, the gear indication lights are: GREEN = down and locked, AMBER = unsafe (gear position uncertain), RED = gear up. An amber light means the gear is not confirming down and locked. It does not mean 'probably down' or 'maybe faulty.' It means unsafe. The correct response is to go around, troubleshoot, and attempt emergency extension — not to continue the approach and hope.
Gear recycling can clear a momentary indication glitch.
If the gear light is amber, a full cycle (retract all the way, wait 5 seconds, then extend) can clear a momentary electrical contact issue or a transient indication problem. The gear should fully retract (all lights red), then fully extend (all lights green). If the light remains amber after a recycle, the problem is mechanical, not electrical, and emergency extension is the next step.
The emergency gear extension system is a tool, not a last resort.
The Piper Arrow has an emergency gear extension system (manual crank or gravity drop, depending on model). This system is designed to extend the gear if the power system fails or is uncertain. If the power system is not reliably extending the gear (indicated by an amber light that does not clear after recycling), use the emergency system. Do not land with an unsafe indication hoping the gear is down.
A gear-up landing on two wheels is survivable but is a significant accident.
If the right main gear does not extend or does not support the airplane, the right wing will drop on landing. The right wingtip will scrape the runway. The airplane will veer right and exit the runway. This is a runway excursion and a significant accident. The airplane will be damaged; the pilot and passengers may be injured. This outcome is preventable by going around and troubleshooting before landing.
At KSPG, a go-around off Runway 07 is safe; a gear-up landing is not.
Off Runway 07 at KSPG, the departure environment is open water (Tampa Bay). A go-around to troubleshoot the gear is safe — you have altitude and time. A gear-up landing on Runway 07 is survivable (the runway is 3,676 ft long), but it is a significant accident. The decision to go around at 800 ft AGL is the correct one.
Vle (max gear extended speed) is 129 KIAS — do not exceed this speed with the gear down.
The Piper Arrow's maximum gear extended speed is 129 KIAS. If you are troubleshooting a gear indication at altitude and need to descend, do not exceed 129 KIAS with the gear down. Exceeding Vle risks structural damage to the gear and the airframe. Keep the descent gradual and the airspeed below 129 KIAS.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB CEN23LA417 (2023 PA-28RT partial gear retraction on landing), WPR22LA040 (2021 PA-28R right main gear extension failure), ERA15LA289 (2015 PA-28R nose gear strut fatigue / directional control loss), and CEN11LA418 (2011 PA-28R wheels-up landing after power pack failure). Anonymized and localized to KSPG.
NTSB reports: CEN23LA417 · WPR22LA040 · ERA15LA289 · CEN11LA418
ACS tasks: PA.I.F — Weather Information · PA.I.G — Cross-Country Flight Planning · PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors · PA.II.A — Preflight Inspection · PA.V.A — Airplane Systems
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.13 · §91.185
Step through the full decision tree, make the calls, and see where each choice leads — then debrief it with your CFI.
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