Silver Suits

The mission was a relatively short weekend hop for my Comanche 250. Prior to departing, I called Flight Service, learned it would be a beautiful VFR day and filed an IFR flight plan. My two passengers, one of whom was taking her first flight in a personal aircraft, and I departed on schedule and had an uneventful flight. Until we prepared to land. Nearing the destination, I was vectored to the downwind for a visual approach to the towered airport and began performing a GUMP check before landing. I pushed the toggle switch to lower the gear but nothing happened. I checked the circuit breakers. They were all okay. I hit the toggle again—and nothing happened again. I told the tower the landing gear did not come down and we would fly straight-out and lower the gear manually. They asked if I wanted to declare an emergency. I replied, “Not at present.”

Key Takeaways:

• During an approach, a pilot encountered an electronic landing gear failure, necessitating a manual extension.
• The pilot successfully executed the manual extension, attributing his competence to detailed systems training and practice provided by the Comanche Owners Society.
• Despite the pilot's initial reluctance, air traffic control declared an emergency, resulting in emergency vehicle deployment and temporary airport closure, though the landing was safe and uneventful.
• The experience reinforced the critical importance of knowing aircraft systems, practicing emergency procedures, and maintaining a calm demeanor.

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