Narrative:

At the end of a flight from bed to dca the pilot was vectored to a landing at runway 21 (4505 ft) at XA30Z (almost fully dark). The flight was on an IFR flight plan. ATIS yankee was current and stated winds 180 degrees at 13 KTS using the river visual approach to runway 18 with lndgs and takeoffs on intersecting runways. Andrews approach cleared 'direct to the airport,' and then for the 'visual approach to runway 21' and handed off to the dca tower. The tower urged the pilot to 'keep speed up and fly direct to the numbers,' this was done. Landing checklist and significant power reduction done, but gear and flaps deployment was delayed to accomplish a rapid approach. The approach terminated in a tight turn to the end of runway 21 while still carrying quite a bit of airspeed. The pilot's attention was focused on insuring an adequately early touchdown, no conflict from landing traffic on runway 18, acceptance by other aircraft of the 'hold short runway 21 for landing runway 18 traffic,' and the visual environment outside of the aircraft. Flaps were deployed to add drag, but a gumps check was not done coming 'over the fence' and the lack of a more rapid descent was not immediately recognized by the pilot. The plane was aligned with the runway flying level to slightly nose down at about 85 KTS when the propeller strike was detected (between 1000 ft and 2000 ft down runway 21). The pilot immediately raised the nose, gained 25 ft of altitude and simultaneously dropped the gear, got 3 green lights and then proceeded to land normally, main gear ground contact was hard enough to induce a bounce that was easily overcome well before the runway end. The engine seemed to be operating normally and the pilot proceeded to taxi to the GA area and parked the plane normally. A cursory inspection revealed there had been a propeller strike and showed no other visible damage. There was no injury of any kind to the pilot or passenger. The next day a more thorough examination of the plane showed no visible damage to the plane and no ground contact by the plane (except for the propeller tips). This plane is equipped with the automatic landing gear deployment system. The pilot believes the automatic deployment of the gear did not happen in time to prevent the propeller strike because of the speed. It is possible that the ultimate rapid deployment of the gear was in part due to the automatic system. The pilot did not recall any gear warning signal. This is consistent with the speed and the lack of deployment by the automatic system. The pilot had experienced the automated deployment system work properly 30 days before during a practice exercise designed to demonstrate the function. The ground controller did remark 'that was a nice save.' there are no excuses for this sort of happening. Having said that: this pilot's past experience and discipline about landing checks is mostly in normal patterns and at somewhat less busy airports. The training and experience did not overcome the pilot's tendency to narrow his focus and perhaps be overly responsive to controller requests. While 3 1/2 hours is a modestly long flight, the pilot was rested, and the flight conditions were uncomplicated and the air was smooth and mostly clear. The pilot has flown into dca on 4 other occasions, including one similar approach to runway 21, so he was not completely inexperienced with this airport. His experience at other similar high volume jet airports is limited to one or two lndgs and takeoffs. The over focus on tower requests is consistent with such a lack of experience. The pilot had owned an aircraft of the same type but with somewhat different electronics. He had flown this specific aircraft 4 times and 7 hours prior to this flight. While the different electronics presented some distractions in earlier phases of the flight, the pilot does not believe they were any factor in this happening. The pilot needs to understand if 'over focusing' is sufficiently inherent to stop flying, and if not, to get additional specific training to instill a better set of procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PROP STRIKE ON RWY AFTER A HIGH SPD VISUAL APCH TO DCA AND FAILING TO LOWER LNDG GEAR.

Narrative: AT THE END OF A FLT FROM BED TO DCA THE PLT WAS VECTORED TO A LNDG AT RWY 21 (4505 FT) AT XA30Z (ALMOST FULLY DARK). THE FLT WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. ATIS YANKEE WAS CURRENT AND STATED WINDS 180 DEGS AT 13 KTS USING THE RIVER VISUAL APCH TO RWY 18 WITH LNDGS AND TKOFS ON INTERSECTING RWYS. ANDREWS APCH CLRED 'DIRECT TO THE ARPT,' AND THEN FOR THE 'VISUAL APCH TO RWY 21' AND HANDED OFF TO THE DCA TWR. THE TWR URGED THE PLT TO 'KEEP SPD UP AND FLY DIRECT TO THE NUMBERS,' THIS WAS DONE. LNDG CHKLIST AND SIGNIFICANT PWR REDUCTION DONE, BUT GEAR AND FLAPS DEPLOYMENT WAS DELAYED TO ACCOMPLISH A RAPID APCH. THE APCH TERMINATED IN A TIGHT TURN TO THE END OF RWY 21 WHILE STILL CARRYING QUITE A BIT OF AIRSPD. THE PLT'S ATTN WAS FOCUSED ON INSURING AN ADEQUATELY EARLY TOUCHDOWN, NO CONFLICT FROM LNDG TFC ON RWY 18, ACCEPTANCE BY OTHER ACFT OF THE 'HOLD SHORT RWY 21 FOR LNDG RWY 18 TFC,' AND THE VISUAL ENVIRONMENT OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT. FLAPS WERE DEPLOYED TO ADD DRAG, BUT A GUMPS CHK WAS NOT DONE COMING 'OVER THE FENCE' AND THE LACK OF A MORE RAPID DSCNT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED BY THE PLT. THE PLANE WAS ALIGNED WITH THE RWY FLYING LEVEL TO SLIGHTLY NOSE DOWN AT ABOUT 85 KTS WHEN THE PROP STRIKE WAS DETECTED (BTWN 1000 FT AND 2000 FT DOWN RWY 21). THE PLT IMMEDIATELY RAISED THE NOSE, GAINED 25 FT OF ALT AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DROPPED THE GEAR, GOT 3 GREEN LIGHTS AND THEN PROCEEDED TO LAND NORMALLY, MAIN GEAR GND CONTACT WAS HARD ENOUGH TO INDUCE A BOUNCE THAT WAS EASILY OVERCOME WELL BEFORE THE RWY END. THE ENG SEEMED TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY AND THE PLT PROCEEDED TO TAXI TO THE GA AREA AND PARKED THE PLANE NORMALLY. A CURSORY INSPECTION REVEALED THERE HAD BEEN A PROP STRIKE AND SHOWED NO OTHER VISIBLE DAMAGE. THERE WAS NO INJURY OF ANY KIND TO THE PLT OR PAX. THE NEXT DAY A MORE THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THE PLANE SHOWED NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE PLANE AND NO GND CONTACT BY THE PLANE (EXCEPT FOR THE PROP TIPS). THIS PLANE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE AUTOMATIC LNDG GEAR DEPLOYMENT SYS. THE PLT BELIEVES THE AUTOMATIC DEPLOYMENT OF THE GEAR DID NOT HAPPEN IN TIME TO PREVENT THE PROP STRIKE BECAUSE OF THE SPD. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ULTIMATE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF THE GEAR WAS IN PART DUE TO THE AUTOMATIC SYS. THE PLT DID NOT RECALL ANY GEAR WARNING SIGNAL. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE SPD AND THE LACK OF DEPLOYMENT BY THE AUTOMATIC SYS. THE PLT HAD EXPERIENCED THE AUTOMATED DEPLOYMENT SYS WORK PROPERLY 30 DAYS BEFORE DURING A PRACTICE EXERCISE DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE THE FUNCTION. THE GND CTLR DID REMARK 'THAT WAS A NICE SAVE.' THERE ARE NO EXCUSES FOR THIS SORT OF HAPPENING. HAVING SAID THAT: THIS PLT'S PAST EXPERIENCE AND DISCIPLINE ABOUT LNDG CHKS IS MOSTLY IN NORMAL PATTERNS AND AT SOMEWHAT LESS BUSY ARPTS. THE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE DID NOT OVERCOME THE PLT'S TENDENCY TO NARROW HIS FOCUS AND PERHAPS BE OVERLY RESPONSIVE TO CTLR REQUESTS. WHILE 3 1/2 HRS IS A MODESTLY LONG FLT, THE PLT WAS RESTED, AND THE FLT CONDITIONS WERE UNCOMPLICATED AND THE AIR WAS SMOOTH AND MOSTLY CLR. THE PLT HAS FLOWN INTO DCA ON 4 OTHER OCCASIONS, INCLUDING ONE SIMILAR APCH TO RWY 21, SO HE WAS NOT COMPLETELY INEXPERIENCED WITH THIS ARPT. HIS EXPERIENCE AT OTHER SIMILAR HIGH VOLUME JET ARPTS IS LIMITED TO ONE OR TWO LNDGS AND TKOFS. THE OVER FOCUS ON TWR REQUESTS IS CONSISTENT WITH SUCH A LACK OF EXPERIENCE. THE PLT HAD OWNED AN ACFT OF THE SAME TYPE BUT WITH SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT ELECTRONICS. HE HAD FLOWN THIS SPECIFIC ACFT 4 TIMES AND 7 HRS PRIOR TO THIS FLT. WHILE THE DIFFERENT ELECTRONICS PRESENTED SOME DISTRACTIONS IN EARLIER PHASES OF THE FLT, THE PLT DOES NOT BELIEVE THEY WERE ANY FACTOR IN THIS HAPPENING. THE PLT NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND IF 'OVER FOCUSING' IS SUFFICIENTLY INHERENT TO STOP FLYING, AND IF NOT, TO GET ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC TRAINING TO INSTILL A BETTER SET OF PROCS.

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.