Narrative:

On apr/xx/97, I was flying a PA32R VFR on an IFR flight plan from hky to cre. On departure from hky we had excessive wind noise and I noticed the top latch although locked was not hooked. The noise on the headsets due to the air flow across the microphone was so bad, we disconnected the right front passenger microphone and it improved the situation some. We then contacted charlotte tower on 125.15 and we were being cleared to lib VOR. We tried to re-latch the top latch for several mins without success, when at altitude we opened and re-closed the right passenger door several times but again could not get it latched. We were still having a hard time hearing charlotte but we had communicated to them that we had a door latch problem, charlotte recalled and we again asked for another min to work on the door latch. They suggested lincoln county airport at approximately 2.5 NM ahead if we needed it. I decided to land. When approximately on our downwind leg charlotte canceled IFR, told us to squawk VFR and to contact tower once on the ground, almost immediately they came back, told us to re-squawk XXXX and remain with them on 125.15. Abeam the runway on the downwind leg I put in 10 degrees of flaps and I thought gear down, I typically do the two simultaneously. On final we were established at approximately 100 mph with a crosswind from the west. We added the second notch of flaps when turning final and went to full flaps just prior to crossing the threshold. We were well into the flare, on the centerline with slight crosswind correction, throttle at idle and floating gently toward the runway when I heard what I expected to be the stall-warning horn. I remember seeing the red 'gear unsafe light' above the pilot yoke flash on/off right before the aft of the aircraft touched on the pavement. We had propeller strike and skidded to a stop just on the right edge of the runway. I cut the magnetos, master and fuel and told the 3 passenger to get out of the plane immediately. I immediately ran for help to the FBO who notified FSS. At one point during many conversations with FAA/FSS/FSDO personnel, I was asked if the gear lever was up. I assumed it was because of the gear up landing, but went out to the plane later and found that it was in the down position. I immediately ran back to the FBO to call FSS to update my story. FSDO indicated I may have put it down subconsciously during the first indication of ground contact, but, I certainly don't recall that. The FBO attendant can verify that I did not visit the plane at all until the tow trucks arrived to remove the aircraft from the runway, in addition pictures of the aircraft were taken prior to me revisting the aircraft. For a majority of the time law and fire personnel attended the plane. When the plane was lifted from the runway, the gear dropped and locked. Once the plane was towed and tied down, I turned on the master and verified there were 3 greens on the landing gear. Thus the battery had not been disconnected by emergency personnel. The visible damage I saw with limited light was minor. The inside edge flaps next to the fuselage was flattened, the metal step attached to the fuselage behind the right wing was hanging. The undercarriage looked good along the ribbing (with car lights only). The propeller was peeled back significantly but symmetrically. We obviously had some abnormal conditions with the door being partially open, but, the approach was very good. This plane was equipped with a backup gear extension system which even if I failed to put down the gear should have engaged. It operates on power and airspeed. It should engage between 93 mph and 118 mph. We were well below 93 mph with throttle at or near idle after crossing the runway threshold. During my check ride we tried several times to cause the backup system to engage as expected, it worked but not as expected. Another pilot also indicated the same. The gear system was not in the override position. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states his comment about the gear not working 'as expected' during his check out in the lance was to indicate that when they attempted to have the gear extend by reducing airspeed, the gear started down but did not extend completely. They used normal gear extension procedures to get the gear to extend as reporter did during this incident. However, he should have heard a gear warning horn or gear should have automatically extended when power and airspeed were reduced. This did not occur. Mechanic and reporter feel this mechanism on this aircraft is not functioning properly. FAA investigation has occurred and reporter must take a '609' ride.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA32R PLT DEPARTS WITH DOOR NOT SECURED ON UPPER LATCH. IN PROCESS OF DIVERT TO LAND MAKES A GEAR UP LNDG. THE PA32R HAS AN AUTOMATIC GEAR EXTENSION SYS WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO EXTEND WHEN PWR AND OR AIRSPD ARE LOW. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE DOWN POS.

Narrative: ON APR/XX/97, I WAS FLYING A PA32R VFR ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM HKY TO CRE. ON DEP FROM HKY WE HAD EXCESSIVE WIND NOISE AND I NOTICED THE TOP LATCH ALTHOUGH LOCKED WAS NOT HOOKED. THE NOISE ON THE HEADSETS DUE TO THE AIR FLOW ACROSS THE MIKE WAS SO BAD, WE DISCONNECTED THE R FRONT PAX MIKE AND IT IMPROVED THE SIT SOME. WE THEN CONTACTED CHARLOTTE TWR ON 125.15 AND WE WERE BEING CLRED TO LIB VOR. WE TRIED TO RE-LATCH THE TOP LATCH FOR SEVERAL MINS WITHOUT SUCCESS, WHEN AT ALT WE OPENED AND RE-CLOSED THE R PAX DOOR SEVERAL TIMES BUT AGAIN COULD NOT GET IT LATCHED. WE WERE STILL HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING CHARLOTTE BUT WE HAD COMMUNICATED TO THEM THAT WE HAD A DOOR LATCH PROB, CHARLOTTE RECALLED AND WE AGAIN ASKED FOR ANOTHER MIN TO WORK ON THE DOOR LATCH. THEY SUGGESTED LINCOLN COUNTY ARPT AT APPROX 2.5 NM AHEAD IF WE NEEDED IT. I DECIDED TO LAND. WHEN APPROX ON OUR DOWNWIND LEG CHARLOTTE CANCELED IFR, TOLD US TO SQUAWK VFR AND TO CONTACT TWR ONCE ON THE GND, ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THEY CAME BACK, TOLD US TO RE-SQUAWK XXXX AND REMAIN WITH THEM ON 125.15. ABEAM THE RWY ON THE DOWNWIND LEG I PUT IN 10 DEGS OF FLAPS AND I THOUGHT GEAR DOWN, I TYPICALLY DO THE TWO SIMULTANEOUSLY. ON FINAL WE WERE ESTABLISHED AT APPROX 100 MPH WITH A XWIND FROM THE W. WE ADDED THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS WHEN TURNING FINAL AND WENT TO FULL FLAPS JUST PRIOR TO XING THE THRESHOLD. WE WERE WELL INTO THE FLARE, ON THE CTRLINE WITH SLIGHT XWIND CORRECTION, THROTTLE AT IDLE AND FLOATING GENTLY TOWARD THE RWY WHEN I HEARD WHAT I EXPECTED TO BE THE STALL-WARNING HORN. I REMEMBER SEEING THE RED 'GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT' ABOVE THE PLT YOKE FLASH ON/OFF RIGHT BEFORE THE AFT OF THE ACFT TOUCHED ON THE PAVEMENT. WE HAD PROP STRIKE AND SKIDDED TO A STOP JUST ON THE R EDGE OF THE RWY. I CUT THE MAGNETOS, MASTER AND FUEL AND TOLD THE 3 PAX TO GET OUT OF THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY. I IMMEDIATELY RAN FOR HELP TO THE FBO WHO NOTIFIED FSS. AT ONE POINT DURING MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH FAA/FSS/FSDO PERSONNEL, I WAS ASKED IF THE GEAR LEVER WAS UP. I ASSUMED IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE GEAR UP LNDG, BUT WENT OUT TO THE PLANE LATER AND FOUND THAT IT WAS IN THE DOWN POS. I IMMEDIATELY RAN BACK TO THE FBO TO CALL FSS TO UPDATE MY STORY. FSDO INDICATED I MAY HAVE PUT IT DOWN SUBCONSCIOUSLY DURING THE FIRST INDICATION OF GND CONTACT, BUT, I CERTAINLY DON'T RECALL THAT. THE FBO ATTENDANT CAN VERIFY THAT I DID NOT VISIT THE PLANE AT ALL UNTIL THE TOW TRUCKS ARRIVED TO REMOVE THE ACFT FROM THE RWY, IN ADDITION PICTURES OF THE ACFT WERE TAKEN PRIOR TO ME REVISTING THE ACFT. FOR A MAJORITY OF THE TIME LAW AND FIRE PERSONNEL ATTENDED THE PLANE. WHEN THE PLANE WAS LIFTED FROM THE RWY, THE GEAR DROPPED AND LOCKED. ONCE THE PLANE WAS TOWED AND TIED DOWN, I TURNED ON THE MASTER AND VERIFIED THERE WERE 3 GREENS ON THE LNDG GEAR. THUS THE BATTERY HAD NOT BEEN DISCONNECTED BY EMER PERSONNEL. THE VISIBLE DAMAGE I SAW WITH LIMITED LIGHT WAS MINOR. THE INSIDE EDGE FLAPS NEXT TO THE FUSELAGE WAS FLATTENED, THE METAL STEP ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE BEHIND THE R WING WAS HANGING. THE UNDERCARRIAGE LOOKED GOOD ALONG THE RIBBING (WITH CAR LIGHTS ONLY). THE PROP WAS PEELED BACK SIGNIFICANTLY BUT SYMMETRICALLY. WE OBVIOUSLY HAD SOME ABNORMAL CONDITIONS WITH THE DOOR BEING PARTIALLY OPEN, BUT, THE APCH WAS VERY GOOD. THIS PLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A BACKUP GEAR EXTENSION SYS WHICH EVEN IF I FAILED TO PUT DOWN THE GEAR SHOULD HAVE ENGAGED. IT OPERATES ON PWR AND AIRSPD. IT SHOULD ENGAGE BTWN 93 MPH AND 118 MPH. WE WERE WELL BELOW 93 MPH WITH THROTTLE AT OR NEAR IDLE AFTER XING THE RWY THRESHOLD. DURING MY CHK RIDE WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO CAUSE THE BACKUP SYS TO ENGAGE AS EXPECTED, IT WORKED BUT NOT AS EXPECTED. ANOTHER PLT ALSO INDICATED THE SAME. THE GEAR SYS WAS NOT IN THE OVERRIDE POS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HIS COMMENT ABOUT THE GEAR NOT WORKING 'AS EXPECTED' DURING HIS CHK OUT IN THE LANCE WAS TO INDICATE THAT WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE GEAR EXTEND BY REDUCING AIRSPD, THE GEAR STARTED DOWN BUT DID NOT EXTEND COMPLETELY. THEY USED NORMAL GEAR EXTENSION PROCS TO GET THE GEAR TO EXTEND AS RPTR DID DURING THIS INCIDENT. HOWEVER, HE SHOULD HAVE HEARD A GEAR WARNING HORN OR GEAR SHOULD HAVE AUTOMATICALLY EXTENDED WHEN PWR AND AIRSPD WERE REDUCED. THIS DID NOT OCCUR. MECH AND RPTR FEEL THIS MECHANISM ON THIS ACFT IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. FAA INVESTIGATION HAS OCCURRED AND RPTR MUST TAKE A '609' RIDE.

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.