37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 235638 |
Time | |
Date | 199303 |
Day | Sat |
Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | airport : ikk |
State Reference | IL |
Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | VMC |
Light | Daylight |
Aircraft 1 | |
Operator | general aviation : personal |
Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Retractable Gear |
Flight Phase | descent : approach landing other |
Flight Plan | None |
Person 1 | |
Affiliation | Other |
Function | observation : passenger |
Qualification | pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
Experience | flight time total : 3300 flight time type : 500 |
ASRS Report | 235638 |
Person 2 | |
Affiliation | Other |
Function | flight crew : single pilot |
Qualification | pilot : private |
Events | |
Anomaly | non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly other |
Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
Resolutory Action | flight crew : overcame equipment problem other |
Consequence | other |
Supplementary | |
Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Having not flown an aircraft for almost 1 yr, I took up an offer from a friend, a private pilot, to go along for a pleasure flight. The flight was to be to a nearby airport where my friend, the PIC, would do a few touch-and-go's, and return home. On the way to that airport, we climbed to altitude where my friend did some steep turns. He descended and continued to the airport, and entered the traffic pattern for the first touch and go. Turning final, I reminded my friend of the 'gump' check. As we were about to touch down, I felt a sharp pain in my upper sinuses, the remnant of a cold. I did the valsalva maneuver to rid my head of the pain. We touched down for a normal landing and immediately took off for another touch and go. Established on final approach, my friend offered me the controls for the landing. I took them, but noticed I would have to adjust the seat for my legs to comfortably reach the rudder pedals. I turned the yoke back to my friend and turned my head down to find the seat adjustment and slid the seat forward. I then took the controls back and proceeded to make the landing. Flaring to land with power reduced, we suddenly heard a scraping sound. I immediately added some power and the aircraft climbed a few ft. My friend immediately took back the controls and placed the landing gear switch in the down position. He then completed the landing on the remaining runway which was amply long. We then taxied to the ramp to inspect for any damage. The propeller tips were bent and the airstep was slightly scratched. The moral of the story, as I see it: non-currency in aircraft type, physical discomfort, and distraction on final approach (adjusting the seat), equals inattentiveness and complacency (failure to recite the 'gump' check myself). There was also failure to follow an SOP with a checklist, which I was accustomed to in 2 pilot jet operations. A contributing factor: aircraft's gear warning horn and automatic-extension system didn't function to save the day. Today's 'complex' single-engine aircraft are not idiot-proof.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ACFT DAMAGED AFTER INITIALLY SCRAPING BOTTOM OF ACFT ON RWY WITH GEAR RETRACTED.
Narrative: HAVING NOT FLOWN AN ACFT FOR ALMOST 1 YR, I TOOK UP AN OFFER FROM A FRIEND, A PVT PLT, TO GO ALONG FOR A PLEASURE FLT. THE FLT WAS TO BE TO A NEARBY ARPT WHERE MY FRIEND, THE PIC, WOULD DO A FEW TOUCH-AND-GO'S, AND RETURN HOME. ON THE WAY TO THAT ARPT, WE CLBED TO ALT WHERE MY FRIEND DID SOME STEEP TURNS. HE DSNDED AND CONTINUED TO THE ARPT, AND ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN FOR THE FIRST TOUCH AND GO. TURNING FINAL, I REMINDED MY FRIEND OF THE 'GUMP' CHK. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN, I FELT A SHARP PAIN IN MY UPPER SINUSES, THE REMNANT OF A COLD. I DID THE VALSALVA MANEUVER TO RID MY HEAD OF THE PAIN. WE TOUCHED DOWN FOR A NORMAL LNDG AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK OFF FOR ANOTHER TOUCH AND GO. ESTABLISHED ON FINAL APCH, MY FRIEND OFFERED ME THE CTLS FOR THE LNDG. I TOOK THEM, BUT NOTICED I WOULD HAVE TO ADJUST THE SEAT FOR MY LEGS TO COMFORTABLY REACH THE RUDDER PEDALS. I TURNED THE YOKE BACK TO MY FRIEND AND TURNED MY HEAD DOWN TO FIND THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT AND SLID THE SEAT FORWARD. I THEN TOOK THE CTLS BACK AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE THE LNDG. FLARING TO LAND WITH PWR REDUCED, WE SUDDENLY HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND. I IMMEDIATELY ADDED SOME PWR AND THE ACFT CLBED A FEW FT. MY FRIEND IMMEDIATELY TOOK BACK THE CTLS AND PLACED THE LNDG GEAR SWITCH IN THE DOWN POS. HE THEN COMPLETED THE LNDG ON THE REMAINING RWY WHICH WAS AMPLY LONG. WE THEN TAXIED TO THE RAMP TO INSPECT FOR ANY DAMAGE. THE PROP TIPS WERE BENT AND THE AIRSTEP WAS SLIGHTLY SCRATCHED. THE MORAL OF THE STORY, AS I SEE IT: NON-CURRENCY IN ACFT TYPE, PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT, AND DISTR ON FINAL APCH (ADJUSTING THE SEAT), EQUALS INATTENTIVENESS AND COMPLACENCY (FAILURE TO RECITE THE 'GUMP' CHK MYSELF). THERE WAS ALSO FAILURE TO FOLLOW AN SOP WITH A CHKLIST, WHICH I WAS ACCUSTOMED TO IN 2 PLT JET OPS. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: ACFT'S GEAR WARNING HORN AND AUTO-EXTENSION SYS DIDN'T FUNCTION TO SAVE THE DAY. TODAY'S 'COMPLEX' SINGLE-ENG ACFT ARE NOT IDIOT-PROOF.
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.