Narrative:

Approaching truckee tahoe airport for landing, tuned radios to 122.8 ctf and 118.0 AWOS-3 wind 260-8 favoring runway 28 for landing, made recommended pattern entry. Advised unicom downwind leg for landing runway 28, completed before landing checklist, advised truckee traffic turning base leg runway 28. Another aircraft advised me that he is on runway 28 taxiing east and that active runway is 18. I advised him that I intended to land on 28, he called back that active runway was 18. I told him that AWOS on 118.0 was giving wind as 260 at 8 and that there was no runway 18 at truckee. He was a transient aircraft and apparently unfamiliar with airport, as there is a parallel taxiway adjacent to runway 28 and another parallel taxi area on the parking ramp-unicom then came on the air with the wind is light and variable, use runway of your choice. To give this other aircraft plenty of time to exit the runway to taxiway for 19, I advised that I would make a 360, there was no other traffic behind me. I retracted the gear, left 20 flaps and completed turn back again to base leg, advising truckee traffic I was on base leg for runway 28, made normal approach for landing. (I would like to mention at this time that before the flight I had adjusted the seat back from where I usually situation, reason being that in this particular aircraft if you situation up as far as you would, long nose and all of the wings and engines and propellers behind your vision, your right knee will sometimes hit the left ignition and turn it to right magnetic. But when you put the seat back so your knee doesn't hit, you feel like you are dragging your bottom on the runway, with the gear down when you flare. I also had on a noise attenuate headset with foam ear plugs inside.) back to landing -- when I was in the flare I felt I was too close to runway, first instinct was it was the seat too far back, then immediately realized that I was too close to runway, advanced power and flew it out on a normal go around and pattern back to runway 28 for landing. I heard nothing unusual in sounds at any time, all instruments were normal, with no vibration. Made normal landing on 28, cooled the engines down and taxied back to my hangar, when the engines stopped and I saw the propellers, it was the first time I was aware that the propellers had hit the runway. The FAA aviation safety inspector has made an inspection of the aircraft, and he advised me that he thought the wiring installation with the avionics, when they were installed at the factory, called for the horns to be tied into the plug for a headset. I have found only 1 airplane on the airport like that an old small transport. He has a # of other airplanes and none of these are wired that way, and none of the aircraft I flew on the airlines including heavy transport were wired so you would hear the horns through the headset. Pilots just retired from flying widebody transport say they were not wired that way, and I can find no one who is familiar with it. Not to say there isn't, it certainly should be, especially with the new noise elimination headsets it definitely should be wired this way, same as marker beacons are. This kept me from hearing the horn when I retarded the throttles, and I probably hit the power at the same time I contacted the runway, didn't hear that either. I did not think that the incident with the other aircraft taxiing down the runway I was to land on had an effect on me, to make me forget the gear, but it probably did, as I normally look at the green lights at least 3 times on final approach. I didn't do it 1 time on that one.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT HITS PROPS ON GEAR UP APCH. GAR.

Narrative: APCHING TRUCKEE TAHOE ARPT FOR LNDG, TUNED RADIOS TO 122.8 CTF AND 118.0 AWOS-3 WIND 260-8 FAVORING RWY 28 FOR LNDG, MADE RECOMMENDED PATTERN ENTRY. ADVISED UNICOM DOWNWIND LEG FOR LNDG RWY 28, COMPLETED BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST, ADVISED TRUCKEE TFC TURNING BASE LEG RWY 28. ANOTHER ACFT ADVISED ME THAT HE IS ON RWY 28 TAXIING E AND THAT ACTIVE RWY IS 18. I ADVISED HIM THAT I INTENDED TO LAND ON 28, HE CALLED BACK THAT ACTIVE RWY WAS 18. I TOLD HIM THAT AWOS ON 118.0 WAS GIVING WIND AS 260 AT 8 AND THAT THERE WAS NO RWY 18 AT TRUCKEE. HE WAS A TRANSIENT ACFT AND APPARENTLY UNFAMILIAR WITH ARPT, AS THERE IS A PARALLEL TAXIWAY ADJACENT TO RWY 28 AND ANOTHER PARALLEL TAXI AREA ON THE PARKING RAMP-UNICOM THEN CAME ON THE AIR WITH THE WIND IS LIGHT AND VARIABLE, USE RWY OF YOUR CHOICE. TO GIVE THIS OTHER ACFT PLENTY OF TIME TO EXIT THE RWY TO TAXIWAY FOR 19, I ADVISED THAT I WOULD MAKE A 360, THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC BEHIND ME. I RETRACTED THE GEAR, L 20 FLAPS AND COMPLETED TURN BACK AGAIN TO BASE LEG, ADVISING TRUCKEE TFC I WAS ON BASE LEG FOR RWY 28, MADE NORMAL APCH FOR LNDG. (I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION AT THIS TIME THAT BEFORE THE FLT I HAD ADJUSTED THE SEAT BACK FROM WHERE I USUALLY SIT, REASON BEING THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR ACFT IF YOU SIT UP AS FAR AS YOU WOULD, LONG NOSE AND ALL OF THE WINGS AND ENGS AND PROPS BEHIND YOUR VISION, YOUR R KNEE WILL SOMETIMES HIT THE L IGNITION AND TURN IT TO R MAG. BUT WHEN YOU PUT THE SEAT BACK SO YOUR KNEE DOESN'T HIT, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE DRAGGING YOUR BOTTOM ON THE RWY, WITH THE GEAR DOWN WHEN YOU FLARE. I ALSO HAD ON A NOISE ATTENUATE HEADSET WITH FOAM EAR PLUGS INSIDE.) BACK TO LNDG -- WHEN I WAS IN THE FLARE I FELT I WAS TOO CLOSE TO RWY, FIRST INSTINCT WAS IT WAS THE SEAT TOO FAR BACK, THEN IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THAT I WAS TOO CLOSE TO RWY, ADVANCED PWR AND FLEW IT OUT ON A NORMAL GAR AND PATTERN BACK TO RWY 28 FOR LNDG. I HEARD NOTHING UNUSUAL IN SOUNDS AT ANY TIME, ALL INSTS WERE NORMAL, WITH NO VIBRATION. MADE NORMAL LNDG ON 28, COOLED THE ENGS DOWN AND TAXIED BACK TO MY HANGAR, WHEN THE ENGS STOPPED AND I SAW THE PROPS, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS AWARE THAT THE PROPS HAD HIT THE RWY. THE FAA AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR HAS MADE AN INSPECTION OF THE ACFT, AND HE ADVISED ME THAT HE THOUGHT THE WIRING INSTALLATION WITH THE AVIONICS, WHEN THEY WERE INSTALLED AT THE FACTORY, CALLED FOR THE HORNS TO BE TIED INTO THE PLUG FOR A HEADSET. I HAVE FOUND ONLY 1 AIRPLANE ON THE ARPT LIKE THAT AN OLD SMT. HE HAS A # OF OTHER AIRPLANES AND NONE OF THESE ARE WIRED THAT WAY, AND NONE OF THE ACFT I FLEW ON THE AIRLINES INCLUDING HVT WERE WIRED SO YOU WOULD HEAR THE HORNS THROUGH THE HEADSET. PLTS JUST RETIRED FROM FLYING WDB SAY THEY WERE NOT WIRED THAT WAY, AND I CAN FIND NO ONE WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH IT. NOT TO SAY THERE ISN'T, IT CERTAINLY SHOULD BE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NEW NOISE ELIMINATION HEADSETS IT DEFINITELY SHOULD BE WIRED THIS WAY, SAME AS MARKER BEACONS ARE. THIS KEPT ME FROM HEARING THE HORN WHEN I RETARDED THE THROTTLES, AND I PROBABLY HIT THE PWR AT THE SAME TIME I CONTACTED THE RWY, DIDN'T HEAR THAT EITHER. I DID NOT THINK THAT THE INCIDENT WITH THE OTHER ACFT TAXIING DOWN THE RWY I WAS TO LAND ON HAD AN EFFECT ON ME, TO MAKE ME FORGET THE GEAR, BUT IT PROBABLY DID, AS I NORMALLY LOOK AT THE GREEN LIGHTS AT LEAST 3 TIMES ON FINAL APCH. I DIDN'T DO IT 1 TIME ON THAT ONE.

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.