Narrative:

Under VFR daylight conditions, I made an approach to ohio university runway 25. Upon flare out, I realized too late that the gear had not fully extended. Upon coming to a stop basically in the middle of the runway, I immediately turned off the master switch, the fuel selector, and exited the aircraft as soon as possible. There was no fuel leakage, no fire, no damage to other property per southeast, and there were no passengers. An airport fire truck was on the scene within a min or two of my exiting the aircraft. A state highway patrolman investigated the scene and approved removal of the aircraft. The gear, which appeared to have started down, came down upon the circuit breaker being pushed in. 3 FAA inspectors arrived approximately 2 hours later. Relatively speaking, damage to the aircraft was 'minor' in nature according to the FAA personnel. They arrange an approach and landing reexamination under a 609 provision. There are a couple of observations I can make. I have a gear retract bypass on my small aircraft X that retracts the gear in cold WX when the gear selector alone does not work. This is an approved installation done by an small aircraft X service center. Because the warning continues to blare after the gear goes up, however, I was told to pull the circuit breaker until it would stop buzzing, usually shortly after cruise is established. On a recent flight, the gear did not come down when the switch was activated. I recycled the circuit breaker and the problem never showed up again in subsequent lndgs. This condition may have been a contributing factor as the gear switch was in the down position, the gear was partially open, ie, the main gear signal even though I specifically recall closing the throttle fully well above the threshold, and the circuit breaker was out. (The mechanic has since reported to me that the circuit breaker may have popped out because of the gear motor cogs jamming as they have on a couple of other occasions with which he is familiar. This still needs to be determined). The bypass switch must be modified to work without pulling the circuit breaker under any conditions. Hindsight being what it is, I should have persisted in a better solution than the one I accepted after the installation of the bypass system. It has been that way for yrs but it is clearly unacceptable. Second, I must institute a more reliable scan/final checklist system than permitted this condition to go unnoticed, ie, I must have missed the fact that the floor indicator was not properly aligned and that even though the gear selector was down, the gear down and locked light must not have been on. To see this indicator requires looking down and slightly back to see. In cold WX clothing, getting a clear view is not always easy but necessary. Also, pure speculation -- but maybe hearing/feeling the gear engaged as it started to open may have contributed to me 'expecting' to see what I usually see (2500 plus hours in an small aircraft X and more than a 1000 in other retracts). There is some scientific basis for such speculation but it is only one search for an insight. I am searching for other ways to preclude this kind of thing happening again. One other way may be to install one of the audible, programmable checklist systems for regular use.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA LAND WITH GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED. GEAR SELECTOR DOWN.

Narrative: UNDER VFR DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS, I MADE AN APCH TO OHIO UNIVERSITY RWY 25. UPON FLARE OUT, I REALIZED TOO LATE THAT THE GEAR HAD NOT FULLY EXTENDED. UPON COMING TO A STOP BASICALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY, I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH, THE FUEL SELECTOR, AND EXITED THE ACFT ASAP. THERE WAS NO FUEL LEAKAGE, NO FIRE, NO DAMAGE TO OTHER PROPERTY PER SE, AND THERE WERE NO PAXS. AN ARPT FIRE TRUCK WAS ON THE SCENE WITHIN A MIN OR TWO OF MY EXITING THE ACFT. A STATE HIGHWAY PATROLMAN INVESTIGATED THE SCENE AND APPROVED REMOVAL OF THE ACFT. THE GEAR, WHICH APPEARED TO HAVE STARTED DOWN, CAME DOWN UPON THE CIRCUIT BREAKER BEING PUSHED IN. 3 FAA INSPECTORS ARRIVED APPROX 2 HRS LATER. RELATIVELY SPEAKING, DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS 'MINOR' IN NATURE ACCORDING TO THE FAA PERSONNEL. THEY ARRANGE AN APCH AND LNDG REEXAMINATION UNDER A 609 PROVISION. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS I CAN MAKE. I HAVE A GEAR RETRACT BYPASS ON MY SMA X THAT RETRACTS THE GEAR IN COLD WX WHEN THE GEAR SELECTOR ALONE DOES NOT WORK. THIS IS AN APPROVED INSTALLATION DONE BY AN SMA X SVC CTR. BECAUSE THE WARNING CONTINUES TO BLARE AFTER THE GEAR GOES UP, HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD TO PULL THE CIRCUIT BREAKER UNTIL IT WOULD STOP BUZZING, USUALLY SHORTLY AFTER CRUISE IS ESTABLISHED. ON A RECENT FLT, THE GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN WHEN THE SWITCH WAS ACTIVATED. I RECYCLED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND THE PROBLEM NEVER SHOWED UP AGAIN IN SUBSEQUENT LNDGS. THIS CONDITION MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR AS THE GEAR SWITCH WAS IN THE DOWN POS, THE GEAR WAS PARTIALLY OPEN, IE, THE MAIN GEAR SIGNAL EVEN THOUGH I SPECIFICALLY RECALL CLOSING THE THROTTLE FULLY WELL ABOVE THE THRESHOLD, AND THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS OUT. (THE MECH HAS SINCE RPTED TO ME THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER MAY HAVE POPPED OUT BECAUSE OF THE GEAR MOTOR COGS JAMMING AS THEY HAVE ON A COUPLE OF OTHER OCCASIONS WITH WHICH HE IS FAMILIAR. THIS STILL NEEDS TO BE DETERMINED). THE BYPASS SWITCH MUST BE MODIFIED TO WORK WITHOUT PULLING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER UNDER ANY CONDITIONS. HINDSIGHT BEING WHAT IT IS, I SHOULD HAVE PERSISTED IN A BETTER SOLUTION THAN THE ONE I ACCEPTED AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF THE BYPASS SYS. IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY FOR YRS BUT IT IS CLRLY UNACCEPTABLE. SECOND, I MUST INSTITUTE A MORE RELIABLE SCAN/FINAL CHKLIST SYS THAN PERMITTED THIS CONDITION TO GO UNNOTICED, IE, I MUST HAVE MISSED THE FACT THAT THE FLOOR INDICATOR WAS NOT PROPERLY ALIGNED AND THAT EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS DOWN, THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN ON. TO SEE THIS INDICATOR REQUIRES LOOKING DOWN AND SLIGHTLY BACK TO SEE. IN COLD WX CLOTHING, GETTING A CLR VIEW IS NOT ALWAYS EASY BUT NECESSARY. ALSO, PURE SPECULATION -- BUT MAYBE HEARING/FEELING THE GEAR ENGAGED AS IT STARTED TO OPEN MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO ME 'EXPECTING' TO SEE WHAT I USUALLY SEE (2500 PLUS HRS IN AN SMA X AND MORE THAN A 1000 IN OTHER RETRACTS). THERE IS SOME SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR SUCH SPECULATION BUT IT IS ONLY ONE SEARCH FOR AN INSIGHT. I AM SEARCHING FOR OTHER WAYS TO PRECLUDE THIS KIND OF THING HAPPENING AGAIN. ONE OTHER WAY MAY BE TO INSTALL ONE OF THE AUDIBLE, PROGRAMMABLE CHKLIST SYSTEMS FOR REGULAR USE.

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.