Narrative:

I was scheduled to conduct a multi-engine flight instrument add-on practical test on an applicant. A chain of events arose that led both of us to very nearly land the aircraft gear up. The applicant called to say she would be late for the appointment because of a maintenance log book problem. That solved, the applicant then had a problem getting fuel at her home airport before leaving for the chkride. Finally, after departing, she arrived in the traffic pattern at the airport at which I am based. On the downwind leg she put the gear handle down. The gear went down and as the handle popped back up to its normal neutral position, the knob and red light on the handle broke into 2 pieces and fell on the floor of the aircraft. After landing the applicant advised me of the problem with the gear handle. I went and looked at it and decided we could assemble it over the handle and tape it together and it would operate and indicate normally. This was accomplished. As we left the aircraft the applicant slammed the door on her little finger, mashing it badly. She wished to continue with the flight check. I should have recognized by now it was not our day. After a satisfactory oral, we departed for the flight portion of the practical test. All seemed normal as we entered the traffic pattern at chino airport to conduct pattern work. The first landing was completed to a full stop with no hint of any radio problems. We were using an intercom between the 2 of us, a portable push to talk for the applicant and I had a hand-held microphone. After taxiing back for takeoff, I called the tower to advise them we were ready for takeoff and would be remaining in the pattern. I received no response and called again (I found out later they heard me and gave me clearance to take off). The controller asked how I was hearing and I responded with loud and clear. I was cleared for takeoff and departed. On the downwind leg I was given a traffic pointout that I heard and responded to, but a second traffic callout I did not hear and did not respond to, although the controller did not confirm whether I received it or not (therefore, I still wasn't aware of a radio problem). Meanwhile, I had failed an engine (simulated) on the applicant and we were struggling to climb to pattern altitude when we were advised about what traffic to follow on base. We heard and responded to this transmission and turned base. Our altitude was low because of the simulated failed engine and the applicant delayed putting the gear down. The tower cleared us to land, but we did not received this transmission (again I found this out later). Soon we were short final and about the time I was going to remind the applicant that the gear was not down, the controller told us that we needed to either make a full stop landing and taxi to the radio shop or depart the air traffic area. I questioned his transmission and he continued to tell us about our apparent radio problem. Meanwhile, I forgot the gear was up and we were both distracted trying to figure out what was wrong with our intercom/radio set causing the reported problem. The applicant started the landing flare. I heard the gear warning horn and initiated a go around. Saved by the horn! We both allowed ourselves to become engrossed in listening to the controller and thinking about our radio and we should have been paying attention to our landing. A review of the control tower tapes revealed we had missed a total of 3 xmissions, but we had little cockpit evidence that we had radio problem until the controller started talking to us on final. It was my closest call, for a gear up landing in 22 yrs as a professional aviator. Thank you manufacturer for the warning horn that worked. We should have known that it just wasn't our day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RADIO COM PROBLEM DISTR NEARLY CAUSES GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS SCHEDULED TO CONDUCT A MULTI-ENG FLT INSTR ADD-ON PRACTICAL TEST ON AN APPLICANT. A CHAIN OF EVENTS AROSE THAT LED BOTH OF US TO VERY NEARLY LAND THE ACFT GEAR UP. THE APPLICANT CALLED TO SAY SHE WOULD BE LATE FOR THE APPOINTMENT BECAUSE OF A MAINT LOG BOOK PROB. THAT SOLVED, THE APPLICANT THEN HAD A PROB GETTING FUEL AT HER HOME ARPT BEFORE LEAVING FOR THE CHKRIDE. FINALLY, AFTER DEPARTING, SHE ARRIVED IN THE TFC PATTERN AT THE ARPT AT WHICH I AM BASED. ON THE DOWNWIND LEG SHE PUT THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN. THE GEAR WENT DOWN AND AS THE HANDLE POPPED BACK UP TO ITS NORMAL NEUTRAL POS, THE KNOB AND RED LIGHT ON THE HANDLE BROKE INTO 2 PIECES AND FELL ON THE FLOOR OF THE ACFT. AFTER LNDG THE APPLICANT ADVISED ME OF THE PROB WITH THE GEAR HANDLE. I WENT AND LOOKED AT IT AND DECIDED WE COULD ASSEMBLE IT OVER THE HANDLE AND TAPE IT TOGETHER AND IT WOULD OPERATE AND INDICATE NORMALLY. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED. AS WE LEFT THE ACFT THE APPLICANT SLAMMED THE DOOR ON HER LITTLE FINGER, MASHING IT BADLY. SHE WISHED TO CONTINUE WITH THE FLT CHK. I SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED BY NOW IT WAS NOT OUR DAY. AFTER A SATISFACTORY ORAL, WE DEPARTED FOR THE FLT PORTION OF THE PRACTICAL TEST. ALL SEEMED NORMAL AS WE ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN AT CHINO ARPT TO CONDUCT PATTERN WORK. THE FIRST LNDG WAS COMPLETED TO A FULL STOP WITH NO HINT OF ANY RADIO PROBS. WE WERE USING AN INTERCOM BTWN THE 2 OF US, A PORTABLE PUSH TO TALK FOR THE APPLICANT AND I HAD A HAND-HELD MIC. AFTER TAXIING BACK FOR TKOF, I CALLED THE TWR TO ADVISE THEM WE WERE READY FOR TKOF AND WOULD BE REMAINING IN THE PATTERN. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE AND CALLED AGAIN (I FOUND OUT LATER THEY HEARD ME AND GAVE ME CLRNC TO TAKE OFF). THE CTLR ASKED HOW I WAS HEARING AND I RESPONDED WITH LOUD AND CLEAR. I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF AND DEPARTED. ON THE DOWNWIND LEG I WAS GIVEN A TFC POINTOUT THAT I HEARD AND RESPONDED TO, BUT A SECOND TFC CALLOUT I DID NOT HEAR AND DID NOT RESPOND TO, ALTHOUGH THE CTLR DID NOT CONFIRM WHETHER I RECEIVED IT OR NOT (THEREFORE, I STILL WASN'T AWARE OF A RADIO PROB). MEANWHILE, I HAD FAILED AN ENG (SIMULATED) ON THE APPLICANT AND WE WERE STRUGGLING TO CLB TO PATTERN ALT WHEN WE WERE ADVISED ABOUT WHAT TFC TO FOLLOW ON BASE. WE HEARD AND RESPONDED TO THIS XMISSION AND TURNED BASE. OUR ALT WAS LOW BECAUSE OF THE SIMULATED FAILED ENG AND THE APPLICANT DELAYED PUTTING THE GEAR DOWN. THE TWR CLRED US TO LAND, BUT WE DID NOT RECEIVED THIS XMISSION (AGAIN I FOUND THIS OUT LATER). SOON WE WERE SHORT FINAL AND ABOUT THE TIME I WAS GOING TO REMIND THE APPLICANT THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN, THE CTLR TOLD US THAT WE NEEDED TO EITHER MAKE A FULL STOP LNDG AND TAXI TO THE RADIO SHOP OR DEPART THE ATA. I QUESTIONED HIS XMISSION AND HE CONTINUED TO TELL US ABOUT OUR APPARENT RADIO PROB. MEANWHILE, I FORGOT THE GEAR WAS UP AND WE WERE BOTH DISTRACTED TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH OUR INTERCOM/RADIO SET CAUSING THE RPTED PROB. THE APPLICANT STARTED THE LNDG FLARE. I HEARD THE GEAR WARNING HORN AND INITIATED A GAR. SAVED BY THE HORN! WE BOTH ALLOWED OURSELVES TO BECOME ENGROSSED IN LISTENING TO THE CTLR AND THINKING ABOUT OUR RADIO AND WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTN TO OUR LNDG. A REVIEW OF THE CTL TWR TAPES REVEALED WE HAD MISSED A TOTAL OF 3 XMISSIONS, BUT WE HAD LITTLE COCKPIT EVIDENCE THAT WE HAD RADIO PROB UNTIL THE CTLR STARTED TALKING TO US ON FINAL. IT WAS MY CLOSEST CALL, FOR A GEAR UP LNDG IN 22 YRS AS A PROFESSIONAL AVIATOR. THANK YOU MANUFACTURER FOR THE WARNING HORN THAT WORKED. WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IT JUST WASN'T OUR DAY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.