Wheels up landing involving a Beech Aircraft Corp D55, VH-ENC, Weipa, Queensland, on 3 January 1993

On selecting the landing gear up after take-off, the pilot reported hearing an unusual noise from the nose gear area. Cockpit gear position indicators did not illuminate and the nose gear mechanical indicator showed the gear leg to be in the three-quarter down position. The position of the landing gear was checked from the ground on arrival overhead the destination and the observer advised the pilot that the nose gear appeared to be trailing, and the main gear legs did not appear to be fully extended.

The pilot elected to divert to Weipa to avail himself of emergency services at that location. The aircraft was subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted. All the occupants evacuated the aircraft uninjured.

Subsequent inspection of the aircraft, by a company engineer, found that all three legs of the landing gear were in the up position. The nose gear actuator rod-end fitting was broken (the failure of the rod-end probably caused the noise heard by the pilot on gear retraction). The gear was cycled several times using both the normal and emergency systems, but no fault was found with the main gear or the position indicators when the gear lever and gear position were the same.

It would appear possible that the pilot inadvertently raised the gear using the emergency extension system prior to landing at Weipa.