Many voices crowded the advisory frequency as I approached Paso Robles, but by the time I was on the 45 the other pilots had landed and silence reigned. I landed long on 19, turned off at the end, and found a parking spot at the end of a long line of visitors to the annual Antique Aero invitational barbecue.
Technicalities: It Will Maybe Be OK
Key Takeaways:
- During a departure, the pilot's homebuilt aircraft suffered a sudden battery failure followed by an inability to retract the flaps and fully deploy the landing gear.
- The pilot successfully managed the in-flight emergencies, including manually locking the nosewheel with a pre-prepared pole, to land safely.
- Post-flight investigation revealed two unrelated but coincidentally timed issues: a catastrophic battery failure and a detached hydraulic line that caused a complete loss of hydraulic fluid, affecting both flap and landing gear operation.
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