Narrative:

Descent to the WA76 airport was in VMC and the IFR flight plan was canceled about 10 mi northwest of the airport. The before landing checklist was completed about 5 mi northwest of the field with the exception of the gear. We flew about 3 mi west of the airport and continued eastbound along the north edge of the columbia river as was customary to allow the passenger an aerial view of the vineyards and wine making facilities. Having finished the aerial tour and before turning on to the left downwind for the northeast runway, I performed the before landing passenger briefing. I then put in 30 degrees of flaps on a midfield downwind and placed my hand back on the gear handle (normally when holding on an item as important as the gear I physically hold the item). I then realized that I had not isolated myself from the passenger as they continued talking amongst themselves. I reached up to select 'pilot' on the intercom and then put my hand on the throttle (not the gear handle) and I began planning my base turn. On final I remember thinking for a split second about a conversation with a pilot from another company on the previous trip to this same airport about the illusions associated with an approach to an upsloping runway such as this. A company he had flown for had taken out the second set of controls to prevent passenger from grabbing the yoke when flying into small upslope/downslope airports. Not that my approach concerned me, after all, this was my fifth trip to the columbia crest winery and I was where I wanted to be on the approach. But I was wondering how an approach to this airport must look to our passenger and what I would do if one of my passenger grabbed the yoke. This brief, several-second thought process, I believe, is what distracted me from doing my usual 'final check 3-GREEN' call to ensure gear down. At about 20 ft AGL a warning horn sounded. There was really not enough time to differentiate between stall warning or gear warning. My first reaction was stall warning because of the deck angle. I remember thinking that the landing would be a nice one -- close to a stall -- and we should be touching down any second. By the time I sensed the unusualness of the deck angle versus the proximity to the ground and that the warning horn may be the gear warning horn, a quick glance at the gear lights and handle revealed to my horror the yellow gear up light and the handle still in the up position. I was sure.... Then a horrendous scraping sound. Because the deck angle was greater than normal, I thought what I was hearing was the tailskid dragging. I immediately added full throttle, full propellers, and arrested the descent with enough back pressure to not cause a stall. When the airspeed increased to 100 mph, I raised the flaps to approach and began a climb back to pattern altitude. I finished the checklist (a new cessna checklist that was slightly different in layout and format from the one I had been using) with the gear this time, and made sure I checked it a final time per my normal procedure. Remainder of the landing and shutdown was normal except to find that the l-hand propellers were curled. Both methods that had not failed me until that day, did fail me. I can only attribute this to distrs from my normal routine.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PART 135 PLT'S FAILURE TO LOWER LNDG GEAR RESULTED IN A PROP STRIKE DURING A GAR. ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: DSCNT TO THE WA76 ARPT WAS IN VMC AND THE IFR FLT PLAN WAS CANCELED ABOUT 10 MI NW OF THE ARPT. THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED ABOUT 5 MI NW OF THE FIELD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GEAR. WE FLEW ABOUT 3 MI W OF THE ARPT AND CONTINUED EBOUND ALONG THE N EDGE OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER AS WAS CUSTOMARY TO ALLOW THE PAX AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE VINEYARDS AND WINE MAKING FACILITIES. HAVING FINISHED THE AERIAL TOUR AND BEFORE TURNING ON TO THE L DOWNWIND FOR THE NE RWY, I PERFORMED THE BEFORE LNDG PAX BRIEFING. I THEN PUT IN 30 DEGS OF FLAPS ON A MIDFIELD DOWNWIND AND PLACED MY HAND BACK ON THE GEAR HANDLE (NORMALLY WHEN HOLDING ON AN ITEM AS IMPORTANT AS THE GEAR I PHYSICALLY HOLD THE ITEM). I THEN REALIZED THAT I HAD NOT ISOLATED MYSELF FROM THE PAX AS THEY CONTINUED TALKING AMONGST THEMSELVES. I REACHED UP TO SELECT 'PLT' ON THE INTERCOM AND THEN PUT MY HAND ON THE THROTTLE (NOT THE GEAR HANDLE) AND I BEGAN PLANNING MY BASE TURN. ON FINAL I REMEMBER THINKING FOR A SPLIT SECOND ABOUT A CONVERSATION WITH A PLT FROM ANOTHER COMPANY ON THE PREVIOUS TRIP TO THIS SAME ARPT ABOUT THE ILLUSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AN APCH TO AN UPSLOPING RWY SUCH AS THIS. A COMPANY HE HAD FLOWN FOR HAD TAKEN OUT THE SECOND SET OF CTLS TO PREVENT PAX FROM GRABBING THE YOKE WHEN FLYING INTO SMALL UPSLOPE/DOWNSLOPE ARPTS. NOT THAT MY APCH CONCERNED ME, AFTER ALL, THIS WAS MY FIFTH TRIP TO THE COLUMBIA CREST WINERY AND I WAS WHERE I WANTED TO BE ON THE APCH. BUT I WAS WONDERING HOW AN APCH TO THIS ARPT MUST LOOK TO OUR PAX AND WHAT I WOULD DO IF ONE OF MY PAX GRABBED THE YOKE. THIS BRIEF, SEVERAL-SECOND THOUGHT PROCESS, I BELIEVE, IS WHAT DISTRACTED ME FROM DOING MY USUAL 'FINAL CHK 3-GREEN' CALL TO ENSURE GEAR DOWN. AT ABOUT 20 FT AGL A WARNING HORN SOUNDED. THERE WAS REALLY NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DIFFERENTIATE BTWN STALL WARNING OR GEAR WARNING. MY FIRST REACTION WAS STALL WARNING BECAUSE OF THE DECK ANGLE. I REMEMBER THINKING THAT THE LNDG WOULD BE A NICE ONE -- CLOSE TO A STALL -- AND WE SHOULD BE TOUCHING DOWN ANY SECOND. BY THE TIME I SENSED THE UNUSUALNESS OF THE DECK ANGLE VERSUS THE PROX TO THE GND AND THAT THE WARNING HORN MAY BE THE GEAR WARNING HORN, A QUICK GLANCE AT THE GEAR LIGHTS AND HANDLE REVEALED TO MY HORROR THE YELLOW GEAR UP LIGHT AND THE HANDLE STILL IN THE UP POS. I WAS SURE.... THEN A HORRENDOUS SCRAPING SOUND. BECAUSE THE DECK ANGLE WAS GREATER THAN NORMAL, I THOUGHT WHAT I WAS HEARING WAS THE TAILSKID DRAGGING. I IMMEDIATELY ADDED FULL THROTTLE, FULL PROPS, AND ARRESTED THE DSCNT WITH ENOUGH BACK PRESSURE TO NOT CAUSE A STALL. WHEN THE AIRSPD INCREASED TO 100 MPH, I RAISED THE FLAPS TO APCH AND BEGAN A CLB BACK TO PATTERN ALT. I FINISHED THE CHKLIST (A NEW CESSNA CHKLIST THAT WAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN LAYOUT AND FORMAT FROM THE ONE I HAD BEEN USING) WITH THE GEAR THIS TIME, AND MADE SURE I CHKED IT A FINAL TIME PER MY NORMAL PROC. REMAINDER OF THE LNDG AND SHUTDOWN WAS NORMAL EXCEPT TO FIND THAT THE L-HAND PROPS WERE CURLED. BOTH METHODS THAT HAD NOT FAILED ME UNTIL THAT DAY, DID FAIL ME. I CAN ONLY ATTRIBUTE THIS TO DISTRS FROM MY NORMAL ROUTINE.

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.