If an actual low fluid condition exists, placing the gear handle to the down position before completing the appropriate emergency procedure will result in which condition?

• A. electric hydraulic pump failure
• B. decreased flight control response due to loss of hydraulic pressure
• C. loss of primary hydraulic pressure
• D. loss of braking accumulator pressure

Answer: (D)

In a true low hydraulic fluid situation, the system relies on stored energy in the braking accumulators to provide braking when normal pump flow is limited. Moving the gear handle to the down position uses hydraulic power to extend the landing gear, which adds another demand on the already constrained hydraulic system. If this is done before finishing the emergency procedure, that additional demand can bleed off the braking accumulator pressure, leaving you with reduced or lost braking capability.

That’s why the result is loss of braking accumulator pressure—the action taps into the same limited hydraulic resources that the accumulators depend on. The other options describe failures or losses that aren’t directly caused by the gear-down action under a low-fluid condition.