Narrative:

I had gone to the airport to practice some touch and goes. WX was overcast with occasional light showers. It had been slightly over 30 days since I had flown last. Preflight was normal with no discrepancies noted. The aircraft had come out of annual approximately 5 hours earlier. After calling ground and receiving approval to taxi to runway 17, taxied to the run up area where a VOR check station exists. Performed a VOR check, completed the run up with a checklist. All systems were normal. Requested clearance for departure, touch and goes, from tower. Was cleared for takeoff immediately runway 17. A normal takeoff followed with gear retraction on clearing the usable runway, turned in the pattern, reaching pattern altitude on the turn downwind. Reduced power and propeller flipped gear switch for extension. Cleared by tower for touch and go. Reduced power back to landing glide power, checked fuel, checked gear, noted both lights and mechanic indicator as down, checked mixture, and propeller. All systems were ready for landing. Dropped 10 degrees flaps, brought airspeed back to 100 mph. Turned base, reduced power and dripped 20 degrees flaps and airspeed to 90. Did final gump check. All systems normal in landing confign. Turned final, dropped full flaps, reduced power for power on landing and airspeed to 80. A nice light touch down followed just past the numbers on runway 17. The aircraft slowed and continued to roll an estimated 500-700 ft down the runway, speed unknown, but definitely not flying. I reached down to retract the flaps, and immediately the nose gear collapsed, followed by the right main. The aircraft slid to a stop in an estimated 100 to 200 ft. I shut down all power, cut the switches, removed the key, turned the fuel selector to off and vacated the aircraft. I ran to the nearest a&P shops to get assistance but all had already gone home. I returned to the aircraft by which time fire and police obviously called by the tower, had arrived (EST. 5 mins). The fire rig had ground frequency and permitted me to report to the tower and request a check of 121.5. No ELT tone was noted. On re-entering the aircraft to double check for fire concerns as fuel was running out of the lower wing fuel vent, I checked again the position of all switches. The gear switch and flap switch were both in the down position. I cannot recall having flipped either the gear switch or flap switch, only as I was reaching for it, the nose went down. I cannot definitely say that I did not although the positive locks on both switches seem to me to make it unlikely that I did. A gear retraction test on the aircraft showed the system to be fully functional. It would appear that I inadvertently flipped the gear switch up instead of the flap switch. Both switches on this aircraft are identical in shape and function, with a positive lock device which must be moved aside to activate the switch. The only difference is that the flap switch is located on the right panel, approximately 6 inches right of the yoke, both at the same level with other switches. The relatively close location of these switches, the lack of differentiation in form or function, the location of the gear switch, (I also fly other retracts) appear to be contributory causes.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER LNDG AND ROLL OUT GEAR COLLAPSE OF SMA ACFT.

Narrative: I HAD GONE TO THE ARPT TO PRACTICE SOME TOUCH AND GOES. WX WAS OVCST WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHT SHOWERS. IT HAD BEEN SLIGHTLY OVER 30 DAYS SINCE I HAD FLOWN LAST. PREFLT WAS NORMAL WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. THE ACFT HAD COME OUT OF ANNUAL APPROX 5 HOURS EARLIER. AFTER CALLING GND AND RECEIVING APPROVAL TO TAXI TO RWY 17, TAXIED TO THE RUN UP AREA WHERE A VOR CHK STATION EXISTS. PERFORMED A VOR CHK, COMPLETED THE RUN UP WITH A CHKLIST. ALL SYSTEMS WERE NORMAL. REQUESTED CLRNC FOR DEP, TOUCH AND GOES, FROM TWR. WAS CLRED FOR TKOF IMMEDIATELY RWY 17. A NORMAL TKOF FOLLOWED WITH GEAR RETRACTION ON CLRING THE USABLE RWY, TURNED IN THE PATTERN, REACHING PATTERN ALT ON THE TURN DOWNWIND. REDUCED PWR AND PROP FLIPPED GEAR SWITCH FOR EXTENSION. CLRED BY TWR FOR TOUCH AND GO. REDUCED PWR BACK TO LNDG GLIDE PWR, CHKED FUEL, CHKED GEAR, NOTED BOTH LIGHTS AND MECH INDICATOR AS DOWN, CHKED MIXTURE, AND PROP. ALL SYSTEMS WERE READY FOR LNDG. DROPPED 10 DEGS FLAPS, BROUGHT AIRSPD BACK TO 100 MPH. TURNED BASE, REDUCED PWR AND DRIPPED 20 DEGS FLAPS AND AIRSPD TO 90. DID FINAL GUMP CHK. ALL SYSTEMS NORMAL IN LNDG CONFIGN. TURNED FINAL, DROPPED FULL FLAPS, REDUCED PWR FOR PWR ON LNDG AND AIRSPD TO 80. A NICE LIGHT TOUCH DOWN FOLLOWED JUST PAST THE NUMBERS ON RWY 17. THE ACFT SLOWED AND CONTINUED TO ROLL AN ESTIMATED 500-700 FT DOWN THE RWY, SPD UNKNOWN, BUT DEFINITELY NOT FLYING. I REACHED DOWN TO RETRACT THE FLAPS, AND IMMEDIATELY THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT MAIN. THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP IN AN ESTIMATED 100 TO 200 FT. I SHUT DOWN ALL PWR, CUT THE SWITCHES, REMOVED THE KEY, TURNED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO OFF AND VACATED THE ACFT. I RAN TO THE NEAREST A&P SHOPS TO GET ASSISTANCE BUT ALL HAD ALREADY GONE HOME. I RETURNED TO THE ACFT BY WHICH TIME FIRE AND POLICE OBVIOUSLY CALLED BY THE TWR, HAD ARRIVED (EST. 5 MINS). THE FIRE RIG HAD GND FREQ AND PERMITTED ME TO RPT TO THE TWR AND REQUEST A CHK OF 121.5. NO ELT TONE WAS NOTED. ON RE-ENTERING THE ACFT TO DOUBLE CHK FOR FIRE CONCERNS AS FUEL WAS RUNNING OUT OF THE LOWER WING FUEL VENT, I CHKED AGAIN THE POS OF ALL SWITCHES. THE GEAR SWITCH AND FLAP SWITCH WERE BOTH IN THE DOWN POS. I CANNOT RECALL HAVING FLIPPED EITHER THE GEAR SWITCH OR FLAP SWITCH, ONLY AS I WAS REACHING FOR IT, THE NOSE WENT DOWN. I CANNOT DEFINITELY SAY THAT I DID NOT ALTHOUGH THE POSITIVE LOCKS ON BOTH SWITCHES SEEM TO ME TO MAKE IT UNLIKELY THAT I DID. A GEAR RETRACTION TEST ON THE ACFT SHOWED THE SYS TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT I INADVERTENTLY FLIPPED THE GEAR SWITCH UP INSTEAD OF THE FLAP SWITCH. BOTH SWITCHES ON THIS ACFT ARE IDENTICAL IN SHAPE AND FUNCTION, WITH A POSITIVE LOCK DEVICE WHICH MUST BE MOVED ASIDE TO ACTIVATE THE SWITCH. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE FLAP SWITCH IS LOCATED ON THE RIGHT PANEL, APPROX 6 INCHES RIGHT OF THE YOKE, BOTH AT THE SAME LEVEL WITH OTHER SWITCHES. THE RELATIVELY CLOSE LOCATION OF THESE SWITCHES, THE LACK OF DIFFERENTIATION IN FORM OR FUNCTION, THE LOCATION OF THE GEAR SWITCH, (I ALSO FLY OTHER RETRACTS) APPEAR TO BE CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES.

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.