PA32R Nose Gear Emergency Extension

[Heftiger]

Any idea what would cause the emergency gear extension system to not extend the nose gear?

It’s a PA32RT-300T with the backup extender removed per SB 866A.

Gear seems to work great otherwise. Nose just doesn’t budge when emergency gear lever is depressed.

This is in the shop on jacks, so maybe we’re just doing something in the wrong order?

 

[hindsight2020]

nose gear door connector arms are bent, is the only thing that would keep it up there. Additionally the nose gear doors themselves may be getting jammed by the system when retracted under pressure (the only way the PA28/32/34/44 system stays up). Once the system depressurizes its all or nothing. The lines don't pressurize individually, so they wouldn't remain pressurized if the main lines were depressurized. Additionally the assister spring may be shot, but that would only manifest itself as inability to reach down over center, and would have zero to do with a nose gear that fails to gravity drop with the emergency depressurizer.

If the nose gear is extending normally under pressure (normal extensions) then I would heavily suspect one of the conneting components to the nose leg is jamming up/bent. Good luck. The arms aren't complicated, I've replaced one, and their pricing is a joke for what they are. They're also no hard to bend in ground handling, but Im not gonna accuse my AP of creating the damage that necessitated the replacement in the first place, though it is possible.

 

[Heftiger]

Thanks for the quick response!
There doesn’t seem to be anything bent. Just put an overhauled engine mount on, so maybe something is a little off.

The spring seems to be ok. I remember it slamming the gear into place when they were hooking it up.

After Emergency Down is activated, the mains go down and the nose sags just a little. Pull down on it and it comes down halfway and stops. Pull down a little more and it will go all the way down and lock. Hard to believe it would be able to overcome 100mph winds.

 

[Heftiger]

I should note. The mains come down but there’s no “slamming” as I’ve heard other people talk about. Maybe the pressure isn’t releasing all the way?

 

[Heftiger]