Narrative:

At st augustine, fl airport my student and I sat through a 30 min ground school on multi-engine procedures on light twin small aircraft. After an hour of air work to the south of st augustine, we joined the left downwind pattern for runway 13 at 1000' AGL. After 3 normal touch-and-goes we changed to runway 06 for 3 x-wind lndgs to a full stop and back taxi for x-wind takeoffs. Then we reentered the left traffic for runway 13 where we did 3 emergency type aborted takeoffs, then continued with a normal takeoff on the remaining runway. The last landing of the day was on runway 13 with a normal left close traffic. My student went through the landing checklist, located near the gear selector. All 3 green lights came on and my student noted the nose wheel in the mirror on the left engine cowling. The checklist was completed as soon as we were on the downwind leg. Abeam the #13 the first notch of flaps was put down. When we turned base leg the second notch of flaps was put down (no warning horn). The landing checklist was gone over again and all 3 lights were on. After turning final the last notch of flaps was put down and power was reduced to 15' mp (no warning horn). The gear down lights were once again checked. From 500' AGL or so, the power was reduced to idle where it remained all the way to touchdown (no warning horn). Upon touchdown I heard a scraping sound and then saw the propellers deform and engines stop. The airplane slid 200-300' on the centerline of runway 13. I ran through the emergency memory checklist, mixtures off, fuel off, door open (no warning horn), then I reached over and shut the master switch off. My student was still in the flying position left hand on the wheel, right hand on the throttle. He then pointed to the gear selector and said 'the gear switch is down, it's down'. I looked and it sure was in the down position. We got out of the airplane to check for fuel leaks, when we saw a couple of other airplanes on final approach. My student got in the airplane and turned the master on, so he could radio the people in the pattern touse another runway. When he turned the master on the gear motor started turning and the warning horn then went off (beep, beep, beep). I told my student to then shut the master off and stay out of the airplane. The airplane was removed from the runway later that evening and towed to the maintenance hangar. The next morning the FAA inspector came to look the airplane over. Upon inspection of the gear, nothing major was found wrong. However, I am an a&P mechanic, 2 yrs in a training school, and 3 yrs experience on all general aviation type airplanes. I did not see anyone put the flaps down to see if the flap warning horn switches were operable. The entire inspection lasted 20 minutes at the most, from aircraft on jacks to aircraft off jacks. The only thing found wrong was the gear unsafe light was dim and its wires on the back of the selector switch were a little loose (see attached sheet 'a'). I do have testimony from one of the other airplanes in the pattern saying that 'our gear was down on the downwind leg'. A few days later a coast guard worker on the night shift came forth and said he saw our airplane for about the last 100-200' AGL and all 3 wheels were up. This only helps to clear up the fact that the gear was down, on the downwind leg. I know the gear was down through base and turning final. Below 500' AGL I did not look at the lights again. So somewhere between 500 AGL and 200 AGL something went wrong and the warning horn failed to warn us of an intermittent electrical problem. I do understand that this form isn't used to report accidents, however, I know that this airplane has something wrong with its gear warning system and maybe on the second flight or maybe 2000 hours down the road, that this thing could happen again. I think if any twin engine airplane is used for flight training, that another mirror should be installed north the copilot side engine cowling. The gear lights are a little out of the way of the normal scan on landing, because they are mounted so low on the instrument panel. Ifa mirror would have been installed north the left cowling, I might have seen the nose wheel going up or not in the down position.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CFI AND STUDENT IN LIGHT TWIN LAND GEAR UP AT SGJ EVEN THOUGH THEY VERIFIED GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED ON DOWNWIND AND THIS WAS SUBSTANTIATED BY WITNESSES. NO WARNING HORNS, NO EXPLANATIONS FOR HOW GEAR RETRACTED BETWEEN DOWNWIND AND TOUCHDOWN.

Narrative: AT ST AUGUSTINE, FL ARPT MY STUDENT AND I SAT THROUGH A 30 MIN GND SCHOOL ON MULTI-ENGINE PROCS ON LIGHT TWIN SMA. AFTER AN HOUR OF AIR WORK TO THE SOUTH OF ST AUGUSTINE, WE JOINED THE LEFT DOWNWIND PATTERN FOR RWY 13 AT 1000' AGL. AFTER 3 NORMAL TOUCH-AND-GOES WE CHANGED TO RWY 06 FOR 3 X-WIND LNDGS TO A FULL STOP AND BACK TAXI FOR X-WIND TKOFS. THEN WE REENTERED THE LEFT TFC FOR RWY 13 WHERE WE DID 3 EMER TYPE ABORTED TKOFS, THEN CONTINUED WITH A NORMAL TKOF ON THE REMAINING RWY. THE LAST LNDG OF THE DAY WAS ON RWY 13 WITH A NORMAL LEFT CLOSE TFC. MY STUDENT WENT THROUGH THE LNDG CHECKLIST, LOCATED NEAR THE GEAR SELECTOR. ALL 3 GREEN LIGHTS CAME ON AND MY STUDENT NOTED THE NOSE WHEEL IN THE MIRROR ON THE LEFT ENGINE COWLING. THE CHECKLIST WAS COMPLETED AS SOON AS WE WERE ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. ABEAM THE #13 THE FIRST NOTCH OF FLAPS WAS PUT DOWN. WHEN WE TURNED BASE LEG THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS WAS PUT DOWN (NO WARNING HORN). THE LNDG CHECKLIST WAS GONE OVER AGAIN AND ALL 3 LIGHTS WERE ON. AFTER TURNING FINAL THE LAST NOTCH OF FLAPS WAS PUT DOWN AND POWER WAS REDUCED TO 15' MP (NO WARNING HORN). THE GEAR DOWN LIGHTS WERE ONCE AGAIN CHECKED. FROM 500' AGL OR SO, THE POWER WAS REDUCED TO IDLE WHERE IT REMAINED ALL THE WAY TO TOUCHDOWN (NO WARNING HORN). UPON TOUCHDOWN I HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND AND THEN SAW THE PROPS DEFORM AND ENGINES STOP. THE AIRPLANE SLID 200-300' ON THE CENTERLINE OF RWY 13. I RAN THROUGH THE EMER MEMORY CHECKLIST, MIXTURES OFF, FUEL OFF, DOOR OPEN (NO WARNING HORN), THEN I REACHED OVER AND SHUT THE MASTER SWITCH OFF. MY STUDENT WAS STILL IN THE FLYING POSITION LEFT HAND ON THE WHEEL, RIGHT HAND ON THE THROTTLE. HE THEN POINTED TO THE GEAR SELECTOR AND SAID 'THE GEAR SWITCH IS DOWN, IT'S DOWN'. I LOOKED AND IT SURE WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION. WE GOT OUT OF THE AIRPLANE TO CHECK FOR FUEL LEAKS, WHEN WE SAW A COUPLE OF OTHER AIRPLANES ON FINAL APCH. MY STUDENT GOT IN THE AIRPLANE AND TURNED THE MASTER ON, SO HE COULD RADIO THE PEOPLE IN THE PATTERN TOUSE ANOTHER RWY. WHEN HE TURNED THE MASTER ON THE GEAR MOTOR STARTED TURNING AND THE WARNING HORN THEN WENT OFF (BEEP, BEEP, BEEP). I TOLD MY STUDENT TO THEN SHUT THE MASTER OFF AND STAY OUT OF THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE WAS REMOVED FROM THE RWY LATER THAT EVENING AND TOWED TO THE MAINT HANGAR. THE NEXT MORNING THE FAA INSPECTOR CAME TO LOOK THE AIRPLANE OVER. UPON INSPECTION OF THE GEAR, NOTHING MAJOR WAS FOUND WRONG. HOWEVER, I AM AN A&P MECHANIC, 2 YRS IN A TRAINING SCHOOL, AND 3 YRS EXPERIENCE ON ALL GENERAL AVIATION TYPE AIRPLANES. I DID NOT SEE ANYONE PUT THE FLAPS DOWN TO SEE IF THE FLAP WARNING HORN SWITCHES WERE OPERABLE. THE ENTIRE INSPECTION LASTED 20 MINUTES AT THE MOST, FROM ACFT ON JACKS TO ACFT OFF JACKS. THE ONLY THING FOUND WRONG WAS THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT WAS DIM AND ITS WIRES ON THE BACK OF THE SELECTOR SWITCH WERE A LITTLE LOOSE (SEE ATTACHED SHEET 'A'). I DO HAVE TESTIMONY FROM ONE OF THE OTHER AIRPLANES IN THE PATTERN SAYING THAT 'OUR GEAR WAS DOWN ON THE DOWNWIND LEG'. A FEW DAYS LATER A COAST GUARD WORKER ON THE NIGHT SHIFT CAME FORTH AND SAID HE SAW OUR AIRPLANE FOR ABOUT THE LAST 100-200' AGL AND ALL 3 WHEELS WERE UP. THIS ONLY HELPS TO CLEAR UP THE FACT THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN, ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. I KNOW THE GEAR WAS DOWN THROUGH BASE AND TURNING FINAL. BELOW 500' AGL I DID NOT LOOK AT THE LIGHTS AGAIN. SO SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 500 AGL AND 200 AGL SOMETHING WENT WRONG AND THE WARNING HORN FAILED TO WARN US OF AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS FORM ISN'T USED TO REPORT ACCIDENTS, HOWEVER, I KNOW THAT THIS AIRPLANE HAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ITS GEAR WARNING SYSTEM AND MAYBE ON THE SECOND FLT OR MAYBE 2000 HRS DOWN THE ROAD, THAT THIS THING COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I THINK IF ANY TWIN ENGINE AIRPLANE IS USED FOR FLT TRAINING, THAT ANOTHER MIRROR SHOULD BE INSTALLED N THE COPLT SIDE ENGINE COWLING. THE GEAR LIGHTS ARE A LITTLE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE NORMAL SCAN ON LNDG, BECAUSE THEY ARE MOUNTED SO LOW ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IFA MIRROR WOULD HAVE BEEN INSTALLED N THE LEFT COWLING, I MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE NOSE WHEEL GOING UP OR NOT IN THE DOWN POSITION.

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.