Narrative:

I was involved in an incident which occurred around early am:30 to am:00 thurs morning, 6/thurs/91, during my initial flight training as a first officer with a corp, a regional airline based in ict. I was acting as a new hire student under the instruction of a company flight instrument and check airman. I was hired in 6/91. The incident occurred on the third training flight. The incident flight began shortly after midnight and consisted of a series of maneuvers and approachs. On the last approach, a simulated single-engine ILS to minimums, I was flying the aircraft while being radar vectored for the approach on 1 engine. The instrument explained that the gear can be extended at the marker or can remain retracted until breaking out and the landing is assured. He further explained that it was the captain's decision and depended on a variety of circumstances. He said, 'in this case we will leave the gear up, so at the marker the call will be 'landing check, hold the gear'.' I made this call at the marker, and we continued the approach west/O any further mention of the gear. At DH, the view limiting device was removed and things got a little frantic. I called, 'going visibility, full flaps,' but the instrument said that we would just use half flaps. I then quickly glanced around for 3 green lights until my eyes caught the indicator and I realized that this was that strange mechanical indicator that I'd been flying around with all night. I saw the gear indicator markings and it was time to flare, so I concluded that the gear must be down. During the flare, it looked like I was finally going to have a nice gentle landing, but the wheels never touched. Instead, I heard a strange buzzing noise and the instrument immediately pulled it out, added the power and climbed out. He reached for the gear handle; it was up. I immediately realized the buzz was the propellers on the concrete. I also remembered that we had held the gear up and I should have called for it down sometime. We entered the pattern and landed. The aircraft seemed to perform and sound normally. However, after shutdown at the ramp, we saw that the outer 3' of the left propeller blades were curled aft and the tips of right blades were scraped. A definite contributing factor of the instrument and me was fatigue. Due to the inavailability of aircraft, all flight training had to take place at night. I got home the night before at 4 am and the night before that at 3 am. Another factor was my lack of experience in any type of a crew situation. I was not used to calling for the gear down instead of putting it down myself. Another factor was the mechanical gear indicator. This indicator uses confusing symbols for gear position instead of lights. For up, the word up appears; for down, vertical lines appear; and for in transit, cross hatching appears. It is confusing and difficult to see in a dark cockpit, most of the company's fleet uses gear lights which is the type we had on the 2 previous flts. Supplemental information from acn 181978: we were executing a simulated single engine ILS approach and our company procedure is to do the landing checklist at the OM, but to hold the extension of the landing gear till the landing is assured. When the student the runway and said 'going visibility,' he also should have said 'landing gear down.' he did not and I as the instrument should have put the landing gear down; I did not. In the flare I realized the gear was not down and immediately applied full power and pitched the aircraft up. We had come close enough to the ground to just touch both propeller tips. I then completed a normal pattern and landing. I think there were several contributing factors. The company is not using flight simulators for training any longer, I assume to save money. It was late at night because there are not any aircraft available during the day because all the aircraft are in revenue service. The landing gear warning horn did not sound at a low power setting because it was probably not set to sound at the proper power setting. Also, the horn does not sound in the headsets. The gear down indicator is a very old style and uses pictures of the tires to show when the gear is down and locked. Most of the other aircraft of the fleet have green lights to show when the gear is down and locked. At night and with a low level of cockpit lighting, the old style indicator is difficult to see.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PROPELLER STRIKES ON RWY AS ACR TURBO PROP NEARLY COMPLETES A GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS INVOLVED IN AN INCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED AROUND EARLY AM:30 TO AM:00 THURS MORNING, 6/THURS/91, DURING MY INITIAL FLT TRNING AS A F/O WITH A CORP, A REGIONAL AIRLINE BASED IN ICT. I WAS ACTING AS A NEW HIRE STUDENT UNDER THE INSTRUCTION OF A COMPANY FLT INSTR AND CHK AIRMAN. I WAS HIRED IN 6/91. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE THIRD TRNING FLT. THE INCIDENT FLT BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF MANEUVERS AND APCHS. ON THE LAST APCH, A SIMULATED SINGLE-ENG ILS TO MINIMUMS, I WAS FLYING THE ACFT WHILE BEING RADAR VECTORED FOR THE APCH ON 1 ENG. THE INSTR EXPLAINED THAT THE GEAR CAN BE EXTENDED AT THE MARKER OR CAN REMAIN RETRACTED UNTIL BREAKING OUT AND THE LNDG IS ASSURED. HE FURTHER EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS THE CAPT'S DECISION AND DEPENDED ON A VARIETY OF CIRCUMSTANCES. HE SAID, 'IN THIS CASE WE WILL LEAVE THE GEAR UP, SO AT THE MARKER THE CALL WILL BE 'LNDG CHK, HOLD THE GEAR'.' I MADE THIS CALL AT THE MARKER, AND WE CONTINUED THE APCH W/O ANY FURTHER MENTION OF THE GEAR. AT DH, THE VIEW LIMITING DEVICE WAS REMOVED AND THINGS GOT A LITTLE FRANTIC. I CALLED, 'GOING VIS, FULL FLAPS,' BUT THE INSTR SAID THAT WE WOULD JUST USE HALF FLAPS. I THEN QUICKLY GLANCED AROUND FOR 3 GREEN LIGHTS UNTIL MY EYES CAUGHT THE INDICATOR AND I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS THAT STRANGE MECHANICAL INDICATOR THAT I'D BEEN FLYING AROUND WITH ALL NIGHT. I SAW THE GEAR INDICATOR MARKINGS AND IT WAS TIME TO FLARE, SO I CONCLUDED THAT THE GEAR MUST BE DOWN. DURING THE FLARE, IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS FINALLY GOING TO HAVE A NICE GENTLE LNDG, BUT THE WHEELS NEVER TOUCHED. INSTEAD, I HEARD A STRANGE BUZZING NOISE AND THE INSTR IMMEDIATELY PULLED IT OUT, ADDED THE PWR AND CLBED OUT. HE REACHED FOR THE GEAR HANDLE; IT WAS UP. I IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THE BUZZ WAS THE PROPS ON THE CONCRETE. I ALSO REMEMBERED THAT WE HAD HELD THE GEAR UP AND I SHOULD HAVE CALLED FOR IT DOWN SOMETIME. WE ENTERED THE PATTERN AND LANDED. THE ACFT SEEMED TO PERFORM AND SOUND NORMALLY. HOWEVER, AFTER SHUTDOWN AT THE RAMP, WE SAW THAT THE OUTER 3' OF THE LEFT PROP BLADES WERE CURLED AFT AND THE TIPS OF RIGHT BLADES WERE SCRAPED. A DEFINITE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR OF THE INSTR AND ME WAS FATIGUE. DUE TO THE INAVAILABILITY OF ACFT, ALL FLT TRNING HAD TO TAKE PLACE AT NIGHT. I GOT HOME THE NIGHT BEFORE AT 4 AM AND THE NIGHT BEFORE THAT AT 3 AM. ANOTHER FACTOR WAS MY LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN ANY TYPE OF A CREW SITUATION. I WAS NOT USED TO CALLING FOR THE GEAR DOWN INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT DOWN MYSELF. ANOTHER FACTOR WAS THE MECHANICAL GEAR INDICATOR. THIS INDICATOR USES CONFUSING SYMBOLS FOR GEAR POS INSTEAD OF LIGHTS. FOR UP, THE WORD UP APPEARS; FOR DOWN, VERT LINES APPEAR; AND FOR IN TRANSIT, CROSS HATCHING APPEARS. IT IS CONFUSING AND DIFFICULT TO SEE IN A DARK COCKPIT, MOST OF THE COMPANY'S FLEET USES GEAR LIGHTS WHICH IS THE TYPE WE HAD ON THE 2 PREVIOUS FLTS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 181978: WE WERE EXECUTING A SIMULATED SINGLE ENG ILS APCH AND OUR COMPANY PROC IS TO DO THE LNDG CHKLIST AT THE OM, BUT TO HOLD THE EXTENSION OF THE LNDG GEAR TILL THE LNDG IS ASSURED. WHEN THE STUDENT THE RWY AND SAID 'GOING VIS,' HE ALSO SHOULD HAVE SAID 'LNDG GEAR DOWN.' HE DID NOT AND I AS THE INSTR SHOULD HAVE PUT THE LNDG GEAR DOWN; I DID NOT. IN THE FLARE I REALIZED THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL PWR AND PITCHED THE ACFT UP. WE HAD COME CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE GND TO JUST TOUCH BOTH PROP TIPS. I THEN COMPLETED A NORMAL PATTERN AND LNDG. I THINK THERE WERE SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. THE COMPANY IS NOT USING FLT SIMULATORS FOR TRNING ANY LONGER, I ASSUME TO SAVE MONEY. IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT ANY ACFT AVAILABLE DURING THE DAY BECAUSE ALL THE ACFT ARE IN REVENUE SVC. THE LNDG GEAR WARNING HORN DID NOT SOUND AT A LOW PWR SETTING BECAUSE IT WAS PROBABLY NOT SET TO SOUND AT THE PROPER PWR SETTING. ALSO, THE HORN DOES NOT SOUND IN THE HEADSETS. THE GEAR DOWN INDICATOR IS A VERY OLD STYLE AND USES PICTURES OF THE TIRES TO SHOW WHEN THE GEAR IS DOWN AND LOCKED. MOST OF THE OTHER ACFT OF THE FLEET HAVE GREEN LIGHTS TO SHOW WHEN THE GEAR IS DOWN AND LOCKED. AT NIGHT AND WITH A LOW LEVEL OF COCKPIT LIGHTING, THE OLD STYLE INDICATOR IS DIFFICULT TO SEE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.