FAR 23.2305 — Landing Gear Systems
FAR 23.2305 covers landing gear design, stopping ability, and backup extension systems for Part 23 airplanes. Study guide for pilot students.
In Plain English
FAR 23.2305 sets the design standards for landing gear on Part 23 (normal category) airplanes. It exists to make sure the gear can handle ground operations, landings, and likely failures without becoming a hazard.
The rule has three parts:
- Stable support and control on the ground. The gear must let the airplane taxi, take off, and land in a stable, controllable way, and the design must account for likely system failures and operating environments — including limitation exceedances and emergency procedures.
- Reliable stopping with kinetic energy absorption. Every airplane needs a dependable way to stop (typically brakes) capable of absorbing the energy of a landing. Airplanes certified for aborted takeoffs must absorb that higher energy too.
- Retractable gear protections. If the gear is actuated (retractable), there must be a positive means to keep it locked in the landing position, plus an alternate extension method when a gear-up situation would be hazardous.
Operationally, this is why your retractable airplane has a downlock indicator and an emergency gear extension procedure in the POH.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 23.2305§ 23.2305 Landing gear systems.
(a) The landing gear must be designed to—
(1) Provide stable support and control to the airplane during surface operation; and
(2) Account for likely system failures and likely operation environments (including anticipated limitation exceedances and emergency procedures).
(b) All airplanes must have a reliable means of stopping the airplane with sufficient kinetic energy absorption to account for landing. Airplanes that are required to demonstrate aborted takeoff capability must account for this additional kinetic energy.
(c) For airplanes that have a system that actuates the landing gear, there is—
(1) A positive means to keep the landing gear in the landing position; and
(2) An alternative means available to bring the landing gear in the landing position when a non-deployed system position would be a hazard.
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You are flying VFR in Class E airspace at 8,500 feet MSL during the day. What are your minimum visibility and cloud clearance requirements?
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What does FAR 23.2305 require for stopping an airplane after landing?
Per FAR 23.2305(b), the airplane must have a reliable means of stopping with enough kinetic energy absorption to handle a landing — and an aborted takeoff if the airplane is certified to demonstrate that capability.
Q2For a retractable-gear airplane, what backup capability does FAR 23.2305 require?
FAR 23.2305(c) requires a positive means to keep the gear in the landing position and an alternative means to extend it when a non-deployed gear position would be hazardous — that's the emergency extension system in your POH.
Q3What design considerations does FAR 23.2305 require for the landing gear during ground operations?
FAR 23.2305(a) requires the gear to provide stable support and control during surface operation and to account for likely system failures and operating environments, including anticipated limitation exceedances and emergency procedures.
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§23.2270 Emergency Conditions
Occupant protection and survivable emergency-landing conditions
§23.2310 Seaplane & Amphibian Buoyancy
80% excess buoyancy and flotation after likely hull or float flooding
§23.2335 Lightning Protection
Airplane protection from catastrophic lightning effects
§23.2500 Airplane-Level Systems
System safety requirements at the complete-airplane level
§23.2145 Stability
Longitudinal, lateral, and directional airplane stability
§23.2250 Design & Construction
Design and construction principles for normal-category airplanes
Related Sections in Part 23