RIVERSIDE: RPD helicopter crew helps pilot land safely after landing gear malfunction

RIVERSIDE — With help from a police aviation crew, a private pilot managed to land safely after suffering a mechanical problem yesterday evening, Sunday, Jan. 18. According to a Tweet from Riverside PD’s Air Support Unit the pilot was preparing to land at Riverside Municipal Airport, northeast of Van Buren Boulevard and Arlington Avenue, when he radioed the airport’s control tower that he had an issue with his landing gear.

Members of the department’s Aviation Unit were patrolling over the city of Riverside when they overheard the pilot advise that his plane’s gauges were indicating a ‘gear unsafe’ situation and that the plane’s landing gear was not working properly.

The pilot advised he could not verify if the landing gear was fully extended and locked and would possibly need to perform a “non-standard” or hard landing.

While emergency first responders were notified regarding the possibility of an emergency gear-up or “belly” landing at the small, municipal airport the aviation crew responded to the area to assist the pilot by performing a visual inspection of the airplane’s landing gear.

Although many experts suggest against using another pilot to conduct an in-flight visual inspection due to the possibility of a midair collision, the police helicopter pilot expertly positioned “Air-1” for the plane’s pilot to perform a flyby. The two pilots then worked together to allow for the helicopter crew to visually inspect the plane’s landing gear.

“We utilized our Flir 380 HDc camera to check that his gear were down and appeared to be locked,” officials explained. At about 6:30 p.m., after confirming the plane’s landing gear appeared to be fully extended, the aviation crew notified the pilot of their observations.

“The pilot was able to continue his approach and made a safe landing,” officials tweeted.

It was not known if the pilot of the small, V-tailed, single-engine Bonanza had any passengers or if he had been flying solo; however there were no injuries reported and the plane did not sustain any damage.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.