Private pilot of a cessna 210 forgot to lower the ldng gear and landed gear up. There was damage to ...

Narrative:

Gear up landing of a cessna 210, on the runway at crq. After I had performed a full stop landing followed by a takeoff and a touch-and-go landing, the control tower cleared me to land just as I was entering the downwind leg from the crosswind leg of the pattern. Other traffic was close on the approach to runway 24 and the clearance was almost immediately amended to extend downwind for 2 other aircraft, a single and a twin, that were not yet visible to me. By the time I reached a point on downwind parallel to the approach end of the runway, the single had landed and the twin was on short final. The tower called my base closer to the end of the runway than I was expecting. I was still at pattern altitude. I lowered the flaps while making the turn to base and was still high when I turned to final. I concentrated on getting the airplane slowed down and on the descent to the runway. I failed to put the landing gear down. This airplane does not have a lot of drag at pattern speeds with the gear down since the gear doors are closed. I did not notice any abnormal difficulty in slowing the airplane to landing speed. I failed to look at the gear or the gear down lights and by the time the propeller hit the runway and I recognized what had happened, it was too late to avoid the gear up landing. The gear warning horn had been tested at a recent annual inspection as well as on my preflight test preceding the first takeoff for this flight. It did not sound when I cut the throttle on final while still high enough to respond, or, if I did, I did not hear it through my headset. It is loud enough that I normally hear it with the headset on when I push the test switch but the engine is not normally running when this preflight test is performed. After removing the airplane from the runway, the mechanic asked me why I hadn't lowered the gear when the horn sounded. I said the horn did not sound for either the gear or the stall. He checked it and found that gear warning worked normally from the test switch but would give only a single, short, low volume beep when the throttle switch closed and would not sound continuously when actuated by the throttle switch. The result was a gear up landing that closed the airport for about 40 mins, caused expensive damage to my airplane, took it OTS at a time when I needed it, and could have had more severe effects. Although the basic cause was my failure to lower the gear, the problem could have been prevented if one or both of 2 things happened. If the gear horn worked, if it had sounded through the headset, I would not have missed it. If the tower had observed the final approach and indicated the gear problem, I would not have landed with the gear up. I believe that it should be emphasized to pilots of retractable gear aircraft that it is not necessary and probably not desirable to retract the gear while doing closed pattern work. Also, last min changes in instructions when in the pattern and traffic that is closely spaced can cause attention to be diverted during critical phases of flight and contribute to this type of problem.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF A CESSNA 210 FORGOT TO LOWER THE LDNG GEAR AND LANDED GEAR UP. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE PROP AND FUSELAGE SKIN. THE RPTR DID NOT HEAR A WARNING SOUND FROM THE GEAR HORN WHEN RETARDING THE THROTTLE!

Narrative: GEAR UP LNDG OF A CESSNA 210, ON THE RWY AT CRQ. AFTER I HAD PERFORMED A FULL STOP LNDG FOLLOWED BY A TKOF AND A TOUCH-AND-GO LNDG, THE CTL TWR CLRED ME TO LAND JUST AS I WAS ENTERING THE DOWNWIND LEG FROM THE XWIND LEG OF THE PATTERN. OTHER TFC WAS CLOSE ON THE APCH TO RWY 24 AND THE CLRNC WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AMENDED TO EXTEND DOWNWIND FOR 2 OTHER ACFT, A SINGLE AND A TWIN, THAT WERE NOT YET VISIBLE TO ME. BY THE TIME I REACHED A POINT ON DOWNWIND PARALLEL TO THE APCH END OF THE RWY, THE SINGLE HAD LANDED AND THE TWIN WAS ON SHORT FINAL. THE TWR CALLED MY BASE CLOSER TO THE END OF THE RWY THAN I WAS EXPECTING. I WAS STILL AT PATTERN ALT. I LOWERED THE FLAPS WHILE MAKING THE TURN TO BASE AND WAS STILL HIGH WHEN I TURNED TO FINAL. I CONCENTRATED ON GETTING THE AIRPLANE SLOWED DOWN AND ON THE DSCNT TO THE RWY. I FAILED TO PUT THE LNDG GEAR DOWN. THIS AIRPLANE DOES NOT HAVE A LOT OF DRAG AT PATTERN SPDS WITH THE GEAR DOWN SINCE THE GEAR DOORS ARE CLOSED. I DID NOT NOTICE ANY ABNORMAL DIFFICULTY IN SLOWING THE AIRPLANE TO LNDG SPD. I FAILED TO LOOK AT THE GEAR OR THE GEAR DOWN LIGHTS AND BY THE TIME THE PROP HIT THE RWY AND I RECOGNIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED, IT WAS TOO LATE TO AVOID THE GEAR UP LNDG. THE GEAR WARNING HORN HAD BEEN TESTED AT A RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION AS WELL AS ON MY PREFLT TEST PRECEDING THE FIRST TKOF FOR THIS FLT. IT DID NOT SOUND WHEN I CUT THE THROTTLE ON FINAL WHILE STILL HIGH ENOUGH TO RESPOND, OR, IF I DID, I DID NOT HEAR IT THROUGH MY HEADSET. IT IS LOUD ENOUGH THAT I NORMALLY HEAR IT WITH THE HEADSET ON WHEN I PUSH THE TEST SWITCH BUT THE ENG IS NOT NORMALLY RUNNING WHEN THIS PREFLT TEST IS PERFORMED. AFTER REMOVING THE AIRPLANE FROM THE RWY, THE MECH ASKED ME WHY I HADN'T LOWERED THE GEAR WHEN THE HORN SOUNDED. I SAID THE HORN DID NOT SOUND FOR EITHER THE GEAR OR THE STALL. HE CHKED IT AND FOUND THAT GEAR WARNING WORKED NORMALLY FROM THE TEST SWITCH BUT WOULD GIVE ONLY A SINGLE, SHORT, LOW VOLUME BEEP WHEN THE THROTTLE SWITCH CLOSED AND WOULD NOT SOUND CONTINUOUSLY WHEN ACTUATED BY THE THROTTLE SWITCH. THE RESULT WAS A GEAR UP LNDG THAT CLOSED THE ARPT FOR ABOUT 40 MINS, CAUSED EXPENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY AIRPLANE, TOOK IT OTS AT A TIME WHEN I NEEDED IT, AND COULD HAVE HAD MORE SEVERE EFFECTS. ALTHOUGH THE BASIC CAUSE WAS MY FAILURE TO LOWER THE GEAR, THE PROB COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF ONE OR BOTH OF 2 THINGS HAPPENED. IF THE GEAR HORN WORKED, IF IT HAD SOUNDED THROUGH THE HEADSET, I WOULD NOT HAVE MISSED IT. IF THE TWR HAD OBSERVED THE FINAL APCH AND INDICATED THE GEAR PROB, I WOULD NOT HAVE LANDED WITH THE GEAR UP. I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED TO PLTS OF RETRACTABLE GEAR ACFT THAT IT IS NOT NECESSARY AND PROBABLY NOT DESIRABLE TO RETRACT THE GEAR WHILE DOING CLOSED PATTERN WORK. ALSO, LAST MIN CHANGES IN INSTRUCTIONS WHEN IN THE PATTERN AND TFC THAT IS CLOSELY SPACED CAN CAUSE ATTN TO BE DIVERTED DURING CRITICAL PHASES OF FLT AND CONTRIBUTE TO THIS TYPE OF PROB.

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.

Attributes
ACN	345165
Time
Date	199608
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : crq
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Cessna 210 Centurion / Turbo Centurion 210C, 210D
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 1 flight time total : 1775 flight time type : 852
ASRS Report	345165
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Private pilot of a cessna 210 forgot to lower the ldng gear and landed gear up. There was damage to the propeller and fuselage skin. The reporter did not hear a warning sound from the gear horn when retarding the throttle!