Narrative:

On nov/xa/98, I took off from allaire airport in a piper seneca I to practice some maneuvers. I headed south toward miller airport practicing stalls and steep turns. As I approached miller airport I decided to practice a simulated single engine landing there. When I was a few mi east of the airport I reduced my left throttle and practiced my procedures and then set my throttle for simulated feather which leaves my gear up warning horn on. I had already been monitoring miller unicom and requested an airport advisory and was told runway 6 was active. I originally planned to cross over the runway at the runway 24 end and enter a crosswind. As I headed for the runway, I began a descent from 2500 ft, and was about to drop my landing gear, but I saw a mooney departing runway 6 who announced he was doing a closed pattern. I then decided to cross over midfield and maintain 1500 ft and go out on a 45 degree for runway 6 and come back in on a 45 degree. With this decision, I decided to hold off on my gear until I was on downwind. (I thought it better to treat everything normal so I wouldn't forget anything.) I prematurely announced entering on a 45 degree while I was still heading outbound. I then believe the mooney extended his pattern to accommodate me, so when I turned back in, he ended up right in front of me, not a threat of collision, but not great spacing. I turned left to put more spacing between us and then turned downwind. I also thought it slowed down so I added 10 degrees of flaps. I got so caught up in keeping my distance from the mooney that I did not perform my 1ST gump check. The gear horn had now been blaring for at least 5 mins and I had just become accustomed to it and tuned it out. I added another notch of flaps at the abeam point noticing I was a little fast but missing another sign by not realizing why I was actually fast. Simulating single engine still, in my mind I did not want to get too far out and turned base a little closer behind the mooney than I would have if I was not practicing single engine. I was still too absorbed in the mooney's position and did not complete a gump check. On final I was watching the mooney on the runway who had announced a touch and go. I had thought about a go around a couple times, but did not listen to my instincts and also thought it would be more of a conflict to the mooney. When I was on short final, I was still watching the mooney who was still rolling on the runway. When he was lifting off, I was just coming over the threshold and leveling off. With the mooney out of the way, I now refocused on my own activity (or inactivity) and realized my gear was still up. I quickly brought everything full forward to go around. As I did I heard a 'scrape' and thought I had just scraped the tail or the step. The engines were running smoothly as I climbed out. I stayed close to the airport and checked the gear which seemed fine and at cruise I had no vibrations. When I was satisfied, I headed back to allaire airport. Only upon shutdown did I realize I had nicked the ends of the propellers.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA34 PVT PLT MAKES A GEAR UP APCH AND PERFORMS A GAR WHEN HE REALIZES THE GEAR IS NOT EXTENDED. ACFT SUFFERS NICKED PROP TIPS FROM GND CONTACT.

Narrative: ON NOV/XA/98, I TOOK OFF FROM ALLAIRE ARPT IN A PIPER SENECA I TO PRACTICE SOME MANEUVERS. I HEADED S TOWARD MILLER ARPT PRACTICING STALLS AND STEEP TURNS. AS I APCHED MILLER ARPT I DECIDED TO PRACTICE A SIMULATED SINGLE ENG LNDG THERE. WHEN I WAS A FEW MI E OF THE ARPT I REDUCED MY L THROTTLE AND PRACTICED MY PROCS AND THEN SET MY THROTTLE FOR SIMULATED FEATHER WHICH LEAVES MY GEAR UP WARNING HORN ON. I HAD ALREADY BEEN MONITORING MILLER UNICOM AND REQUESTED AN ARPT ADVISORY AND WAS TOLD RWY 6 WAS ACTIVE. I ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO CROSS OVER THE RWY AT THE RWY 24 END AND ENTER A XWIND. AS I HEADED FOR THE RWY, I BEGAN A DSCNT FROM 2500 FT, AND WAS ABOUT TO DROP MY LNDG GEAR, BUT I SAW A MOONEY DEPARTING RWY 6 WHO ANNOUNCED HE WAS DOING A CLOSED PATTERN. I THEN DECIDED TO CROSS OVER MIDFIELD AND MAINTAIN 1500 FT AND GO OUT ON A 45 DEG FOR RWY 6 AND COME BACK IN ON A 45 DEG. WITH THIS DECISION, I DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON MY GEAR UNTIL I WAS ON DOWNWIND. (I THOUGHT IT BETTER TO TREAT EVERYTHING NORMAL SO I WOULDN'T FORGET ANYTHING.) I PREMATURELY ANNOUNCED ENTERING ON A 45 DEG WHILE I WAS STILL HEADING OUTBOUND. I THEN BELIEVE THE MOONEY EXTENDED HIS PATTERN TO ACCOMMODATE ME, SO WHEN I TURNED BACK IN, HE ENDED UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, NOT A THREAT OF COLLISION, BUT NOT GREAT SPACING. I TURNED L TO PUT MORE SPACING BTWN US AND THEN TURNED DOWNWIND. I ALSO THOUGHT IT SLOWED DOWN SO I ADDED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. I GOT SO CAUGHT UP IN KEEPING MY DISTANCE FROM THE MOONEY THAT I DID NOT PERFORM MY 1ST GUMP CHK. THE GEAR HORN HAD NOW BEEN BLARING FOR AT LEAST 5 MINS AND I HAD JUST BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO IT AND TUNED IT OUT. I ADDED ANOTHER NOTCH OF FLAPS AT THE ABEAM POINT NOTICING I WAS A LITTLE FAST BUT MISSING ANOTHER SIGN BY NOT REALIZING WHY I WAS ACTUALLY FAST. SIMULATING SINGLE ENG STILL, IN MY MIND I DID NOT WANT TO GET TOO FAR OUT AND TURNED BASE A LITTLE CLOSER BEHIND THE MOONEY THAN I WOULD HAVE IF I WAS NOT PRACTICING SINGLE ENG. I WAS STILL TOO ABSORBED IN THE MOONEY'S POS AND DID NOT COMPLETE A GUMP CHK. ON FINAL I WAS WATCHING THE MOONEY ON THE RWY WHO HAD ANNOUNCED A TOUCH AND GO. I HAD THOUGHT ABOUT A GAR A COUPLE TIMES, BUT DID NOT LISTEN TO MY INSTINCTS AND ALSO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE OF A CONFLICT TO THE MOONEY. WHEN I WAS ON SHORT FINAL, I WAS STILL WATCHING THE MOONEY WHO WAS STILL ROLLING ON THE RWY. WHEN HE WAS LIFTING OFF, I WAS JUST COMING OVER THE THRESHOLD AND LEVELING OFF. WITH THE MOONEY OUT OF THE WAY, I NOW REFOCUSED ON MY OWN ACTIVITY (OR INACTIVITY) AND REALIZED MY GEAR WAS STILL UP. I QUICKLY BROUGHT EVERYTHING FULL FORWARD TO GO AROUND. AS I DID I HEARD A 'SCRAPE' AND THOUGHT I HAD JUST SCRAPED THE TAIL OR THE STEP. THE ENGS WERE RUNNING SMOOTHLY AS I CLBED OUT. I STAYED CLOSE TO THE ARPT AND CHKED THE GEAR WHICH SEEMED FINE AND AT CRUISE I HAD NO VIBRATIONS. WHEN I WAS SATISFIED, I HEADED BACK TO ALLAIRE ARPT. ONLY UPON SHUTDOWN DID I REALIZE I HAD NICKED THE ENDS OF THE PROPS.

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.