Date: 202006
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZZZ.Tower, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Amateur/Home Built/Experimental
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: None
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Landing
Aircraft component: Gear Down Lock
Component problem: Failed
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Engineer; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Gear Up Landing; Ground Event / Encounter Object; Ground Excursion Runway
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Aircraft
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: Landing gear did not retract properly on take off out of ZZZ. Chase airplane observed left main landing gear did not retract properly. Land gear was put in down position and left main landing gear did not indicate down and locked and was observed to not be over center and in locked position. A broken hydraulic actuator that forces the gear forward into a down and locked position was hanging down. It was decided to advise ATC and to plan on landing at ZZZ1 where there was available emergency equipment and long runways. After 30 minutes of burning off fuel orbiting southwest of ZZZ1 and coordinating with ZZZ1 tower I advised aTC and the fire trucks were dispatched to Runway XX. ZZZ1 tower cleared me to land on Runway XX. Upon landing on the right side of the runway I shut the engine down by moving the fuel lever to the off Position and shutting off the magnetos. I put the fuel selector to off and held the left wing off the runway. The left landing gear not being in the locked position trailed backwards as I veered off the left side of the runway into the grass. The plane came to a stop around 50-70 ft. off the runway. There was minimal damage to the airplane and I did not have any injuries. The left wing was then lifted up and the left landing gear was moved forward into the locked position. After talking to the FAA Office it was determined that the event was considered an incident and we were cleared to move the airplane. We pushed the airplane onto the runway; started the engine and taxied to the FBO ramp. Upon inspection it was discovered that a Hime Joint that held up the main locking arm of the landing gear had failed. No other damage was found; so we secured the landing gear arm in a safe position. The landing gear was fully down and locked and good hydraulic pressure was available. So I flew the airplane back to ZZZ2 Which is 5.3 miles from ZZZ with the landing gear down. I made an uneventful landing at ZZZ2. The only observed damage to the airplane was a dent in the leading edge of the left wing out near the wing tip. This was caused by the wing hitting a runway light. The damage was determined to be minimal and that it would not affect the control ability of the aircraft.




Synopsis: Pilot reported landing gear would not retract after takeoff causing a diversion and a gear up landing.