Gear up landing. - NASA ASRS

Attributes
ACN	287375
Time
Date	199411
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : pwa
State Reference	OK
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : pwa
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 16000 flight time type : 400
ASRS Report	287375
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	observation : passenger
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 17 flight time total : 1900 flight time type : 17
ASRS Report	287417
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Smoke and fire in cockpit reported to the tower before landing, elect. Short caused gear to retract. I feel the personnel in the control tower could have taken more of an interest in the aircraft that had a problem, had they been at least watching the aircraft on fire arriving to their airport they may have noticed the landing gear had retracted. Supplemental information from acn 287417: we could not locate the source of the smoke. Priority handling was requested of the wily post tower. Clearance was given for an immediate approach to runway 17L. Approach for landing was normal. Gear down, continued 3 in the green. Approach flaps and then, at 130 KTS full flaps. In the round out, as the plane was settling to the runway, there was the sound of scraping metal. Full power was applied to attempt to fly off the runway. The airplane was then landed gear up. The airplane slid down the runway. There was no damage to the runway and very minor damage to the aircraft, and no injuries to the occupants. Smoke in the cockpit had come from an electrical fire involving the landing gear system. The short caused the gear to retract on its own just prior to touchdown. The short also apparently burned out the gear horn warning system. No circuit breaker popped. When the airplane came to a stop the gear switch was still in the down position indicating locked down. There is no way the pilot could have avoided the gear up landing.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: SMOKE AND FIRE IN COCKPIT RPTED TO THE TWR BEFORE LNDG, ELECT. SHORT CAUSED GEAR TO RETRACT. I FEEL THE PERSONNEL IN THE CTL TWR COULD HAVE TAKEN MORE OF AN INTEREST IN THE ACFT THAT HAD A PROB, HAD THEY BEEN AT LEAST WATCHING THE ACFT ON FIRE ARRIVING TO THEIR ARPT THEY MAY HAVE NOTICED THE LNDG GEAR HAD RETRACTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 287417: WE COULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE. PRIORITY HANDLING WAS REQUESTED OF THE WILY POST TWR. CLRNC WAS GIVEN FOR AN IMMEDIATE APCH TO RWY 17L. APCH FOR LNDG WAS NORMAL. GEAR DOWN, CONTINUED 3 IN THE GREEN. APCH FLAPS AND THEN, AT 130 KTS FULL FLAPS. IN THE ROUND OUT, AS THE PLANE WAS SETTLING TO THE RWY, THERE WAS THE SOUND OF SCRAPING METAL. FULL PWR WAS APPLIED TO ATTEMPT TO FLY OFF THE RWY. THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN LANDED GEAR UP. THE AIRPLANE SLID DOWN THE RWY. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE RWY AND VERY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT, AND NO INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS. SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT HAD COME FROM AN ELECTRICAL FIRE INVOLVING THE LNDG GEAR SYS. THE SHORT CAUSED THE GEAR TO RETRACT ON ITS OWN JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. THE SHORT ALSO APPARENTLY BURNED OUT THE GEAR HORN WARNING SYS. NO CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. WHEN THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP THE GEAR SWITCH WAS STILL IN THE DOWN POS INDICATING LOCKED DOWN. THERE IS NO WAY THE PLT COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE GEAR UP LNDG.

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.