Narrative:

Upon arriving at the traffic pattern at sky, I was completing my pre-landing checklist when another aircraft announced a turn to the base leg for landing. I had not heard this aircraft previous to this and because of the speed of the conquest as compared to the speed of a single engine aircraft I began to scan the sky to make certain it was where its pilot said it was. After a min or so of scanning I found the aircraft turning final. At that point I returned to my pre-landing checklist. I had already put the flaps down to the first detent (15 degrees) and mistakenly went to the next item after the landing gear and continued the checklist from there. I subsequently watched the single engine plane make its approach and then turned base leg and applied the second notch of flaps. The conquest has a gear warning system that is designed to sound a horn when the flaps are selected below 15 degrees or the throttles are retarded aprox 1 inch forward of the flight idle stops. Neither my passenger nor I heard the warning horn when I applied the second notch of flaps on base or when I applied full flaps on final. I did hear the horn when I retarded the power during what should have been the touchdown but by that time I was too slow and too low to attempt to go around. Given the inconsistent spool up of pratt and whitney turbines from idle power I'm certain that I would have caused more damage to the airplane and its occupants by pwring up. The airplane would still have descended into the runway and we would not have been going in a straight line. On short final I was distracted by ground personnel operating a lawn mower across the approach end of the runway. This distraction stopped me from doing a final gump check as I felt I had to make sure he was out of my way or else initiate a go around. I do not believe that person was in any way responsible for my not putting the gear down but is a mitigating factor in my not recognizing that it was not down on short final. There was no one occupying the copilot seat so there were no distractions other than those I described above. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the aircraft damage was limited to the propellers, engine, antenna and wing flaps. He believes that the major cause of his mistake was the fact that the wing flap gear warning did not sound as designed when lowering the flaps beyond the first increment. He has established a new procedure for checking the flap gear warning system prior to landing in aircraft that have such a system.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA 425 CONQUEST PLT LANDED GEAR UP RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE ENG PROPS, WING FLAPS AND RADIO ANTENNAS.

Narrative: UPON ARRIVING AT THE TFC PATTERN AT SKY, I WAS COMPLETING MY PRE-LNDG CHKLIST WHEN ANOTHER ACFT ANNOUNCED A TURN TO THE BASE LEG FOR LNDG. I HAD NOT HEARD THIS ACFT PREVIOUS TO THIS AND BECAUSE OF THE SPD OF THE CONQUEST AS COMPARED TO THE SPD OF A SINGLE ENG ACFT I BEGAN TO SCAN THE SKY TO MAKE CERTAIN IT WAS WHERE ITS PLT SAID IT WAS. AFTER A MIN OR SO OF SCANNING I FOUND THE ACFT TURNING FINAL. AT THAT POINT I RETURNED TO MY PRE-LNDG CHKLIST. I HAD ALREADY PUT THE FLAPS DOWN TO THE FIRST DETENT (15 DEGS) AND MISTAKENLY WENT TO THE NEXT ITEM AFTER THE LNDG GEAR AND CONTINUED THE CHKLIST FROM THERE. I SUBSEQUENTLY WATCHED THE SINGLE ENG PLANE MAKE ITS APCH AND THEN TURNED BASE LEG AND APPLIED THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS. THE CONQUEST HAS A GEAR WARNING SYS THAT IS DESIGNED TO SOUND A HORN WHEN THE FLAPS ARE SELECTED BELOW 15 DEGS OR THE THROTTLES ARE RETARDED APROX 1 INCH FORWARD OF THE FLT IDLE STOPS. NEITHER MY PAX NOR I HEARD THE WARNING HORN WHEN I APPLIED THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS ON BASE OR WHEN I APPLIED FULL FLAPS ON FINAL. I DID HEAR THE HORN WHEN I RETARDED THE PWR DURING WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE TOUCHDOWN BUT BY THAT TIME I WAS TOO SLOW AND TOO LOW TO ATTEMPT TO GO AROUND. GIVEN THE INCONSISTENT SPOOL UP OF PRATT AND WHITNEY TURBINES FROM IDLE PWR I'M CERTAIN THAT I WOULD HAVE CAUSED MORE DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE AND ITS OCCUPANTS BY PWRING UP. THE AIRPLANE WOULD STILL HAVE DSNDED INTO THE RWY AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. ON SHORT FINAL I WAS DISTRACTED BY GND PERSONNEL OPERATING A LAWN MOWER ACROSS THE APCH END OF THE RWY. THIS DISTR STOPPED ME FROM DOING A FINAL GUMP CHK AS I FELT I HAD TO MAKE SURE HE WAS OUT OF MY WAY OR ELSE INITIATE A GAR. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT PERSON WAS IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY NOT PUTTING THE GEAR DOWN BUT IS A MITIGATING FACTOR IN MY NOT RECOGNIZING THAT IT WAS NOT DOWN ON SHORT FINAL. THERE WAS NO ONE OCCUPYING THE COPLT SEAT SO THERE WERE NO DISTRACTIONS OTHER THAN THOSE I DESCRIBED ABOVE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE ACFT DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE PROPS, ENG, ANTENNA AND WING FLAPS. HE BELIEVES THAT THE MAJOR CAUSE OF HIS MISTAKE WAS THE FACT THAT THE WING FLAP GEAR WARNING DID NOT SOUND AS DESIGNED WHEN LOWERING THE FLAPS BEYOND THE FIRST INCREMENT. HE HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW PROC FOR CHKING THE FLAP GEAR WARNING SYS PRIOR TO LNDG IN ACFT THAT HAVE SUCH A SYS.

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.