If a landing gear fails to deploy...

[AA 1818]

I fully understand that this is going to be difficult to answer in that there are at least 10000 different aircraft designs, and further - there are 1000000 different ways in which this can occur, but yet I ask:

In the even that a landing gear fails to deploy - what can be done (without the intervention of outside aide) to get the gear to deploy. I was looking at this video, and it only made me think of what can be done by the crew to bring the gear down by themselves...

[AJ]

Here's the real thing, on a Piedmont Boeing 737:

This isn't a Boeing sanctioned procedure.
On the 767 we follow the 'Gear Disagree' non-normal checklist, attempt a manual extension then refer to the partial gear up landing reference in the FCTM.

[ATFS_Crash]

My father was a fighter pilot with an mechanical/aeronautical engineering degree. He was hitching a ride on some sort of heavy military aircraft; the aircraft was unable to lower its gear. The aircraft crew were not able to figure out the problem despite that one of them crawling down into the gear well. Even though my father was not trained on that particular aircraft he volunteered to crawl down and give it a look. He was lucky in that it was a problem that he was able to figure out and resolve. I think he said he hit or pried on what he thought the problem was, and when he crawled back into the cabin the crew gave it a another shot and it worked.

[474218]

My father was a fighter pilot with an mechanical/aeronautical engineering degree. He was hitching a ride on some sort of heavy military aircraft; the aircraft was unable to lower its gear. The aircraft crew were not able to figure out the problem despite that one of them crawling down into the gear well. Even though my father was not trained on that particular aircraft he volunteered to crawl down and give it a look. He was lucky in that it was a problem that he was able to figure out and resolve. I think he said he hit or pried on what he thought the problem was, and when he crawled back into the cabin the crew gave it a another shot and it worked.

It would be interesting to know what type of aircraft this happen on? Since the wheel wells are unpressurized and most heavy military aircraft fuselages are pressurized. Maybe there is some aircraft somewhere that has an sealed access door to the landing gear?

[Dmmoore]

For the 0.00000000000000001% of commercial aircraft that experience landing gear issues, all but 0.00000000000000001% these are indication issues.
All aircraft are required to have an alternate landing gear extension system that is independent of the primary system. Most aircraft use a mechanical system to release the landing gear and allow gravity to lower the gear. Some aircraft have used compressed gas to blow the gear down.

The MD-11 uses a cable system to release the gear doors and the gear free falls into position.

The gear handle on the 747 unlock the gear doors and the nose gear. Electric motors open the main gear up-locks and the gear free falls into position. The nose gear has an additional "MANUAL" extension device located in the L/H nose gear tunnel. It simply unlocks the up-lock.

[Foxtrot]

Does anyone know what kind of gear-deployment system is used on the NASA Shuttles? I imagine it would be the most reliable system in use as those things have only one chance at landing and the gear must come out, although I'm sure NASA's pilots are trained for handlng that kind of a situation.

[Spad13]

Does anyone know what kind of gear-deployment system is used on the NASA Shuttles?

Yes.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/orbiter/lgear/overview.html

I particularly like this part

....The landing gears are deployed only after the spacecraft has an indicated airspeed of less than 300 knots (345 mph) and an altitude of approximately 250 feet.

That means that if the gear doesn't come down, there isn't a whole lot of time to do anything about it. 250 feet ain't much.

[E-Diddy!]

Boy am I glad the guy in the first video wasn't flying a real airplane.

[ATFS_Crash]

I particularly like this part

....The landing gears are deployed only after the spacecraft has an indicated airspeed of less than 300 knots (345 mph) and an altitude of approximately 250 feet.

That means that if the gear doesn't come down, there isn't a whole lot of time to do anything about it. 250 feet ain't much.

How about this one?
A-12 Oxcart Gear Down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghj6oG0jcwk

[LRJet Guy]

Yes.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/orbiter/lgear/overview.html

I particularly like this part



That means that if the gear doesn't come down, there isn't a whole lot of time to do anything about it. 250 feet ain't much.
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The Shuttle descends faster than a brick dropped from high altitude. If the gear doesn't come down you're not going to do shit about it anyway...

[Airfoilsguy]

Shuttle gear deploys FAST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOxZsbyjSb8