Three Green?

The weather wasnt too bad for my Thanksgiving holiday trip south to see the folks, but the headwinds were fierce. So I decided the smart thing to do would be stopping at North Carolinas Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) for fuel, a stretch of the legs and another dose of weather information before pushing on. The flying clubs Hershey-bar-wing Piper Arrow I rented for the trip had seen better days, but nothing was amiss. Until, that is, I put down the landing gear as I neared the runway at CLT. I heard the system operating, felt the gear thunk into place and noticed the increased drag, but didnt have any of the three green lights I expected.

Key Takeaways:

• A pilot encountered a landing gear indicator light failure upon approach, despite feeling the gear extend and successfully landing.
• In-flight troubleshooting and a subsequent mechanic consultation revealed that the gear indicator lights would only intermittently illuminate after cycling the panel lighting rheostat multiple times.
• The gear itself always functioned correctly, but the intermittent light issue highlighted a likely electrical gremlin connected to the rheostat.
• The experience underscores the critical importance of understanding an aircraft's systems to effectively resolve in-flight anomalies.

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