Narrative:

Our plane had hail damage from a hailstorm in colorado spring, co, in june. We were taking the plane for an inspection and conference with the mechanic who is going to do the repairs to the hail damage. I had slowed down to 100 KTS on approach. Ordinarily I use the gear as a speed brake to slow the plane to enter the downwind leg of the pattern. On this flight, a flight of less than 40 mi, we did not get high enough to do much of a descent and the normal trigger for lowering the gear was absent. I entered downwind, turned base, then final. Ordinarily I go through gumps on base and again on final. I was flying from the right seat. The left seat was occupied by another pilot who also makes it a habit of calling out gumps on final. It is astonishing that neither of us did so. The field was grass and 2600 ft long, plenty of distance. The brakes on our bonanza (and on most) are on the left side only. We were worried that the brakes be applied carefully once on the ground since the field was a little short and we were landing downhill with a small, but 90 degree crosswind. Evidently we concentrated on the landing details to the detriment of normal approach procedures. When I got over the fence I pulled the power off. The horn began to beep and I lowered the nose slightly, thinking it was the stall warning, and proceeded with the landing with full flaps. I hadn't a clue that anything was amiss until the propeller struck the ground. There were no injuries. Damage to the plane was centered on the flaps and the mounting of the step. Relatively little damage occurred otherwise. Ways to prevent a recurrence. Set the gear warning at a higher manifold pressure. The general instructions are for 13-14 inches. This power setting only occurs at flare when you have little time to recognize the presence of a problem. A higher setting of 17-19 inches would cause it to sound while on downwind, base, or final at a time when you could identify the nature of the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE35 PLT HAD A LNDG GEAR UP LNDG AFTER FORGETTING TO LOWER THE GEAR.

Narrative: OUR PLANE HAD HAIL DAMAGE FROM A HAILSTORM IN COLORADO SPRING, CO, IN JUNE. WE WERE TAKING THE PLANE FOR AN INSPECTION AND CONFERENCE WITH THE MECH WHO IS GOING TO DO THE REPAIRS TO THE HAIL DAMAGE. I HAD SLOWED DOWN TO 100 KTS ON APCH. ORDINARILY I USE THE GEAR AS A SPD BRAKE TO SLOW THE PLANE TO ENTER THE DOWNWIND LEG OF THE PATTERN. ON THIS FLT, A FLT OF LESS THAN 40 MI, WE DID NOT GET HIGH ENOUGH TO DO MUCH OF A DSCNT AND THE NORMAL TRIGGER FOR LOWERING THE GEAR WAS ABSENT. I ENTERED DOWNWIND, TURNED BASE, THEN FINAL. ORDINARILY I GO THROUGH GUMPS ON BASE AND AGAIN ON FINAL. I WAS FLYING FROM THE R SEAT. THE L SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY ANOTHER PLT WHO ALSO MAKES IT A HABIT OF CALLING OUT GUMPS ON FINAL. IT IS ASTONISHING THAT NEITHER OF US DID SO. THE FIELD WAS GRASS AND 2600 FT LONG, PLENTY OF DISTANCE. THE BRAKES ON OUR BONANZA (AND ON MOST) ARE ON THE L SIDE ONLY. WE WERE WORRIED THAT THE BRAKES BE APPLIED CAREFULLY ONCE ON THE GND SINCE THE FIELD WAS A LITTLE SHORT AND WE WERE LNDG DOWNHILL WITH A SMALL, BUT 90 DEG XWIND. EVIDENTLY WE CONCENTRATED ON THE LNDG DETAILS TO THE DETRIMENT OF NORMAL APCH PROCS. WHEN I GOT OVER THE FENCE I PULLED THE PWR OFF. THE HORN BEGAN TO BEEP AND I LOWERED THE NOSE SLIGHTLY, THINKING IT WAS THE STALL WARNING, AND PROCEEDED WITH THE LNDG WITH FULL FLAPS. I HADN'T A CLUE THAT ANYTHING WAS AMISS UNTIL THE PROP STRUCK THE GND. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. DAMAGE TO THE PLANE WAS CTRED ON THE FLAPS AND THE MOUNTING OF THE STEP. RELATIVELY LITTLE DAMAGE OCCURRED OTHERWISE. WAYS TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE. SET THE GEAR WARNING AT A HIGHER MANIFOLD PRESSURE. THE GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR 13-14 INCHES. THIS PWR SETTING ONLY OCCURS AT FLARE WHEN YOU HAVE LITTLE TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE PRESENCE OF A PROB. A HIGHER SETTING OF 17-19 INCHES WOULD CAUSE IT TO SOUND WHILE ON DOWNWIND, BASE, OR FINAL AT A TIME WHEN YOU COULD IDENT THE NATURE OF THE 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.