Narrative:

I was making a short VFR flight in the local area around airport. Upon returning to the airport the plan was to make a touch- and-go landing for practice and then a full stop. The landing pattern entry, landing checklist and initial landing were uneventful, but on the takeoff portion of the touch-and-go I reached for the gear switch instead of the flap switch while I was performing the flap retraction procedure. I mentally said 'flaps,' reached to the right side of the panel and activated what I believed to be the flap switch. The aircraft subsequently settled onto the runway and slid to a stop. I fly a 1960 M-35 model bonanza which has a gear and flap switch setup that is not common to most aircraft. The switches on the panel are in a 'piano key' confign where all of the switches are in a line and the various switches are identical. The exception is that the gear key has a 3/8 inch profile of a tire rising from it and the flap key has a similar profile on it simulating a flap. Something else about this panel that is not common with other aircraft is that the gear switch is on the right side of the panel and the flap switch is on the left. None of this has presented a problem for me in the past. I have logged over 750 hours of flight time in this particular aircraft over the past 6 yrs and have been aware of the nonstandard confign. I have also been aware of the possibility for utilizing the wrong switch and have implemented procedures in my flying that have compensated for this confign. Also, since this particular aircraft has been the only one that I flew in the past, I have developed some good habit patterns and there was never a conflict or question which switch to utilize. I normally used a 2- step procedure for raising the flaps where I put my hand on the switch, mentally said 'flaps,' looked at the switch, and then actuated it. Unfortunately, that is not the procedure I used during the touch-and-go landing on dec/xx/94. Within the past yr and a half I have earned my CFI, cfii, and mei ratings and have been logging flight time in a variety of aircraft, all of which have the flap switch on the right side of the panel. While there can be no excuse for utilizing the improper switch to attempt to raise the flaps, I can only deduce that this must have been a contributing factor (the largest contributing factor being my failure to positively identify the switch I was actuating). Other contributing factors may be the fact that I rarely do touch-and-go type lndgs in the bonanza and I had not flown that aircraft in the past 2 weeks. This left me vulnerable to procedural errors and I failed to compensate for this. The only corrective action I can think of will be a change in procedures. It is not possible to change the panel confign of this aircraft to make it similar to that of other aircraft. A kit for modification and stc are not available and an individual modification could leave me open to liability if I sold the aircraft to another individual. As long as I continue to fly a variety of aircraft I will be exposing myself to this kind of problem. I will now visually and positively identify each switch in the cockpit I activate and will pay closer attention during confign changes in all the aircraft I fly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RAISED THE GEAR PREMATURELY DURING A TOUCH-AND-GO.

Narrative: I WAS MAKING A SHORT VFR FLT IN THE LCL AREA AROUND ARPT. UPON RETURNING TO THE ARPT THE PLAN WAS TO MAKE A TOUCH- AND-GO LNDG FOR PRACTICE AND THEN A FULL STOP. THE LNDG PATTERN ENTRY, LNDG CHKLIST AND INITIAL LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL, BUT ON THE TKOF PORTION OF THE TOUCH-AND-GO I REACHED FOR THE GEAR SWITCH INSTEAD OF THE FLAP SWITCH WHILE I WAS PERFORMING THE FLAP RETRACTION PROC. I MENTALLY SAID 'FLAPS,' REACHED TO THE R SIDE OF THE PANEL AND ACTIVATED WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE THE FLAP SWITCH. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY SETTLED ONTO THE RWY AND SLID TO A STOP. I FLY A 1960 M-35 MODEL BONANZA WHICH HAS A GEAR AND FLAP SWITCH SETUP THAT IS NOT COMMON TO MOST ACFT. THE SWITCHES ON THE PANEL ARE IN A 'PIANO KEY' CONFIGN WHERE ALL OF THE SWITCHES ARE IN A LINE AND THE VARIOUS SWITCHES ARE IDENTICAL. THE EXCEPTION IS THAT THE GEAR KEY HAS A 3/8 INCH PROFILE OF A TIRE RISING FROM IT AND THE FLAP KEY HAS A SIMILAR PROFILE ON IT SIMULATING A FLAP. SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THIS PANEL THAT IS NOT COMMON WITH OTHER ACFT IS THAT THE GEAR SWITCH IS ON THE R SIDE OF THE PANEL AND THE FLAP SWITCH IS ON THE L. NONE OF THIS HAS PRESENTED A PROB FOR ME IN THE PAST. I HAVE LOGGED OVER 750 HRS OF FLT TIME IN THIS PARTICULAR ACFT OVER THE PAST 6 YRS AND HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE NONSTANDARD CONFIGN. I HAVE ALSO BEEN AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY FOR UTILIZING THE WRONG SWITCH AND HAVE IMPLEMENTED PROCS IN MY FLYING THAT HAVE COMPENSATED FOR THIS CONFIGN. ALSO, SINCE THIS PARTICULAR ACFT HAS BEEN THE ONLY ONE THAT I FLEW IN THE PAST, I HAVE DEVELOPED SOME GOOD HABIT PATTERNS AND THERE WAS NEVER A CONFLICT OR QUESTION WHICH SWITCH TO UTILIZE. I NORMALLY USED A 2- STEP PROC FOR RAISING THE FLAPS WHERE I PUT MY HAND ON THE SWITCH, MENTALLY SAID 'FLAPS,' LOOKED AT THE SWITCH, AND THEN ACTUATED IT. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS NOT THE PROC I USED DURING THE TOUCH-AND-GO LNDG ON DEC/XX/94. WITHIN THE PAST YR AND A HALF I HAVE EARNED MY CFI, CFII, AND MEI RATINGS AND HAVE BEEN LOGGING FLT TIME IN A VARIETY OF ACFT, ALL OF WHICH HAVE THE FLAP SWITCH ON THE R SIDE OF THE PANEL. WHILE THERE CAN BE NO EXCUSE FOR UTILIZING THE IMPROPER SWITCH TO ATTEMPT TO RAISE THE FLAPS, I CAN ONLY DEDUCE THAT THIS MUST HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR (THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR BEING MY FAILURE TO POSITIVELY IDENT THE SWITCH I WAS ACTUATING). OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS MAY BE THE FACT THAT I RARELY DO TOUCH-AND-GO TYPE LNDGS IN THE BONANZA AND I HAD NOT FLOWN THAT ACFT IN THE PAST 2 WKS. THIS LEFT ME VULNERABLE TO PROCEDURAL ERRORS AND I FAILED TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS. THE ONLY CORRECTIVE ACTION I CAN THINK OF WILL BE A CHANGE IN PROCS. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THE PANEL CONFIGN OF THIS ACFT TO MAKE IT SIMILAR TO THAT OF OTHER ACFT. A KIT FOR MODIFICATION AND STC ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND AN INDIVIDUAL MODIFICATION COULD LEAVE ME OPEN TO LIABILITY IF I SOLD THE ACFT TO ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL. AS LONG AS I CONTINUE TO FLY A VARIETY OF ACFT I WILL BE EXPOSING MYSELF TO THIS KIND OF PROB. I WILL NOW VISUALLY AND POSITIVELY IDENT EACH SWITCH IN THE COCKPIT I ACTIVATE AND WILL PAY CLOSER ATTN DURING CONFIGN CHANGES IN ALL THE ACFT I FLY.

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.