Narrative:

I made a normal letdown from the south, circled north for a normal 45 degree entry into a wide downwind pattern as recommended by the airport flight guide, and made normal radio calls. As I made the final flare expecting the main wheels to touch the runway, the nose gently pitched forward and the propellers made contact with the runway. My first thought was that the nosewheel had collapsed. Then the belly slid onto the runway. I then immediately assumed that I had failed to lower the landing gear. I remember failing to do my routine downwind, base, and final gear-down checks which I attribute to fatigue and stress. I do not remember being aware of the gear warning horn during the approach. After the landing one of my passenger said he had heard a beeping sound. Then I remembered that I had heard a faint beeping sound in the background during the approach which my mind had ignored or attributed to some factor other than a gear-up situation. I was wearing a headset, and the gear warning horn is not fed through the electronics. The 3 gear position lights are located just below my knee and not visible unless I lean forward. I did not notice whether the 'gear unsafe' light on the annunciator panel came on or not in the bright sunlight during my approach. I do remember turning off all electrical switches and fuel valves after touching down. After the accident the local FBO operator looked in the cockpit and told me later that the gear lever was in the down position. But I do not specifically remember lowering it. No one was injured in this incident although it probably was frightening to my passenger despite the fact that they exited the aircraft smiling and laughing. This incident has given me much greater awareness of my own limitations and on how future gear-up accidents like this might be reduced in number. The only thing I can think of that could reduce a great many gear-up accidents in the future is the following retrofit modifications required or volunteered in all retractable gear aircraft: place gear lever and gear position lights at the top of panel near the airspeed indicator (mooney comes close to this). Make the gear position lights large and bright and have them flash when gear is unsafe. Install a loud klaxon type gear-warning horn loud enough to penetrate headsets or have it connected to electronics and fed at a fixed loud volume through the headset and speaker.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORP PLT OF AN SMA TWIN FORGOT TO PUT THE LNDG GEAR DOWN RESULTING IN A GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: I MADE A NORMAL LETDOWN FROM THE S, CIRCLED N FOR A NORMAL 45 DEG ENTRY INTO A WIDE DOWNWIND PATTERN AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ARPT FLT GUIDE, AND MADE NORMAL RADIO CALLS. AS I MADE THE FINAL FLARE EXPECTING THE MAIN WHEELS TO TOUCH THE RWY, THE NOSE GENTLY PITCHED FORWARD AND THE PROPS MADE CONTACT WITH THE RWY. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS THAT THE NOSEWHEEL HAD COLLAPSED. THEN THE BELLY SLID ONTO THE RWY. I THEN IMMEDIATELY ASSUMED THAT I HAD FAILED TO LOWER THE LNDG GEAR. I REMEMBER FAILING TO DO MY ROUTINE DOWNWIND, BASE, AND FINAL GEAR-DOWN CHKS WHICH I ATTRIBUTE TO FATIGUE AND STRESS. I DO NOT REMEMBER BEING AWARE OF THE GEAR WARNING HORN DURING THE APCH. AFTER THE LNDG ONE OF MY PAX SAID HE HAD HEARD A BEEPING SOUND. THEN I REMEMBERED THAT I HAD HEARD A FAINT BEEPING SOUND IN THE BACKGROUND DURING THE APCH WHICH MY MIND HAD IGNORED OR ATTRIBUTED TO SOME FACTOR OTHER THAN A GEAR-UP SIT. I WAS WEARING A HEADSET, AND THE GEAR WARNING HORN IS NOT FED THROUGH THE ELECTRONICS. THE 3 GEAR POS LIGHTS ARE LOCATED JUST BELOW MY KNEE AND NOT VISIBLE UNLESS I LEAN FORWARD. I DID NOT NOTICE WHETHER THE 'GEAR UNSAFE' LIGHT ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL CAME ON OR NOT IN THE BRIGHT SUNLIGHT DURING MY APCH. I DO REMEMBER TURNING OFF ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES AND FUEL VALVES AFTER TOUCHING DOWN. AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE LCL FBO OPERATOR LOOKED IN THE COCKPIT AND TOLD ME LATER THAT THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN THE DOWN POS. BUT I DO NOT SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER LOWERING IT. NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THIS INCIDENT ALTHOUGH IT PROBABLY WAS FRIGHTENING TO MY PAX DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY EXITED THE ACFT SMILING AND LAUGHING. THIS INCIDENT HAS GIVEN ME MUCH GREATER AWARENESS OF MY OWN LIMITATIONS AND ON HOW FUTURE GEAR-UP ACCIDENTS LIKE THIS MIGHT BE REDUCED IN NUMBER. THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF THAT COULD REDUCE A GREAT MANY GEAR-UP ACCIDENTS IN THE FUTURE IS THE FOLLOWING RETROFIT MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED OR VOLUNTEERED IN ALL RETRACTABLE GEAR ACFT: PLACE GEAR LEVER AND GEAR POS LIGHTS AT THE TOP OF PANEL NEAR THE AIRSPD INDICATOR (MOONEY COMES CLOSE TO THIS). MAKE THE GEAR POS LIGHTS LARGE AND BRIGHT AND HAVE THEM FLASH WHEN GEAR IS UNSAFE. INSTALL A LOUD KLAXON TYPE GEAR-WARNING HORN LOUD ENOUGH TO PENETRATE HEADSETS OR HAVE IT CONNECTED TO ELECTRONICS AND FED AT A FIXED LOUD VOLUME THROUGH THE HEADSET AND SPEAKER.

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.