Narrative:

I was on a IFR flight from ZZZ to ZZZZ on feb/sat/03. Due to the short runway and the 90 degree crosswind which was blowing from 20 to 29 mph an extreme amount of care was given to the landing and approach of this flight. I have made this flight into ZZZZ many times in the past both in piston and turbo propeller aircraft. The aircraft was a king air A-100 owned and operated by company X. I completed the landing checklist approximately five miles or slightly more from the runway, but held on the gear extension due to the crosswind component and trying to make a decision on which runway to land, 25 or runway 10. The wind was blowing from 360 at approximately 25 mph on landing. I was using the GPS to verify the wind direction and speed to insure the right runway was chosen. On about a 2 mi and 500 ft AGL final I decided to use runway 10 and not 25. No gear horn blew at any time during the approach. This aircraft as well as the other king air A-100's all have risebeck modifications which includes four bladed propellers plus various other modifications. Due to the risebeck at least 400 pounds of torque must be held right into the flair. This of course at a normal landing speed of 100 KTS. The gear warning horn does not go off until under 400 pounds of torque which means it never goes off unless the wheels are on the ground. If a pilot should decide to pull the power back under 400 pounds of torque at 100 KTS on short final, he will land within the next couple of hundred ft and it will not be pretty. The aircraft will fall out of the sky. My understanding is beechcraft has indicated that there are no gear warning devices which go off even with full flaps if the gear is up unless the power is pulled back less than 400 pounds (approximately) of torque. The warning actually goes off by a micro switch which is set in the throttles and is set at approximately 300 to 400 pounds of torque or less. I am not sure if the original A-100 king air without the risebeck would have had any gear warning, or if that model could be landed with less than 400 pounds of torque. One thing is sure, the 100 a with the risebeck cannot be landed that way. Also, I would be hard pressed to remember any aircraft which I operated over the past 35 yrs, be jets or turbo propellers which permitted the pilot to go past approach flaps with the gear up regardless of the power settings. The way the manual is written it is also very hard to determine exactly when the gear warning does go off. In any case, all of our king air A-100 work the same way. The B-100 works (horn going off) anytime a pilot goes past approach flaps with the gear up. So does the 200 model. Note: I feel that not having the gear horn go off when past approach flaps regardless of the power settings, is not only dangerous, but will lead to many more gear up lndgs. I feel the FAA should look into this matter. We have had two gear up lndgs in the past four yrs by two different pilots for the same reason. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated this was the second gear up landing in their airplane fleet of beech 100 aircraft directly caused by no landing gear warning. The reporter said these airplanes are all risebeck modifications which added four bladed propellers, tail fins and increased the maximum payload by 1000 pounds. The reporter stated the modification also changed the landing performance in that 400 pounds of engine torque must be held right into the flair at a normal landing speed of 100 knots. The reporter said the landing gear warning is activated below 400 pounds of engine torque which means it will be activated only on the ground. It appears the manufacturer and the modification facility claim no responsibility for the power lever switch setting below 400 pounds of torque which cannot meet the airplane flight performance. The reporter said the flight operations manual has not been revised and only states the conditions when the horn will sound with no engine torque figures. Apparently maintenance will not adjust the power lever switches to match the performance of the airplane without some approved authorization. The reporter stated the airplane incurred damage to both engines and propellers, but the airframe was undamaged as the lower fuselage composite cargo pod supported the airframe during ground contact.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECH KING AIR A100 LANDED GEAR UP. PLT RPTS NO LNDG GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED WITH FLAPS IN LNDG POSITION. POWER LEVER SWITCHES SET AT BELOW ENG TORQUE REQUIRED FOR SAFE LNDG PERFORMANCE.

Narrative: I WAS ON A IFR FLT FROM ZZZ TO ZZZZ ON FEB/SAT/03. DUE TO THE SHORT RWY AND THE 90 DEG XWIND WHICH WAS BLOWING FROM 20 TO 29 MPH AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF CARE WAS GIVEN TO THE LNDG AND APCH OF THIS FLT. I HAVE MADE THIS FLT INTO ZZZZ MANY TIMES IN THE PAST BOTH IN PISTON AND TURBO PROP ACFT. THE ACFT WAS A KING AIR A-100 OWNED AND OPERATED BY COMPANY X. I COMPLETED THE LNDG CHKLIST APPROX FIVE MILES OR SLIGHTLY MORE FROM THE RWY, BUT HELD ON THE GEAR EXTENSION DUE TO THE XWIND COMPONENT AND TRYING TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHICH RWY TO LAND, 25 OR RWY 10. THE WIND WAS BLOWING FROM 360 AT APPROX 25 MPH ON LNDG. I WAS USING THE GPS TO VERIFY THE WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED TO INSURE THE RIGHT RWY WAS CHOSEN. ON ABOUT A 2 MI AND 500 FT AGL FINAL I DECIDED TO USE RWY 10 AND NOT 25. NO GEAR HORN BLEW AT ANY TIME DURING THE APCH. THIS ACFT AS WELL AS THE OTHER KING AIR A-100'S ALL HAVE RISEBECK MODIFICATIONS WHICH INCLUDES FOUR BLADED PROPS PLUS VARIOUS OTHER MODIFICATIONS. DUE TO THE RISEBECK AT LEAST 400 LBS OF TORQUE MUST BE HELD RIGHT INTO THE FLAIR. THIS OF COURSE AT A NORMAL LNDG SPEED OF 100 KTS. THE GEAR WARNING HORN DOES NOT GO OFF UNTIL UNDER 400 LBS OF TORQUE WHICH MEANS IT NEVER GOES OFF UNLESS THE WHEELS ARE ON THE GND. IF A PLT SHOULD DECIDE TO PULL THE POWER BACK UNDER 400 LBS OF TORQUE AT 100 KTS ON SHORT FINAL, HE WILL LAND WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT AND IT WILL NOT BE PRETTY. THE ACFT WILL FALL OUT OF THE SKY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS BEECHCRAFT HAS INDICATED THAT THERE ARE NO GEAR WARNING DEVICES WHICH GO OFF EVEN WITH FULL FLAPS IF THE GEAR IS UP UNLESS THE POWER IS PULLED BACK LESS THAN 400 LBS (APPROX) OF TORQUE. THE WARNING ACTUALLY GOES OFF BY A MICRO SWITCH WHICH IS SET IN THE THROTTLES AND IS SET AT APPROX 300 TO 400 LBS OF TORQUE OR LESS. I AM NOT SURE IF THE ORIGINAL A-100 KING AIR WITHOUT THE RISEBECK WOULD HAVE HAD ANY GEAR WARNING, OR IF THAT MODEL COULD BE LANDED WITH LESS THAN 400 LBS OF TORQUE. ONE THING IS SURE, THE 100 A WITH THE RISEBECK CANNOT BE LANDED THAT WAY. ALSO, I WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO REMEMBER ANY ACFT WHICH I OPERATED OVER THE PAST 35 YRS, BE JETS OR TURBO PROPS WHICH PERMITTED THE PLT TO GO PAST APCH FLAPS WITH THE GEAR UP REGARDLESS OF THE POWER SETTINGS. THE WAY THE MANUAL IS WRITTEN IT IS ALSO VERY HARD TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHEN THE GEAR WARNING DOES GO OFF. IN ANY CASE, ALL OF OUR KING AIR A-100 WORK THE SAME WAY. THE B-100 WORKS (HORN GOING OFF) ANYTIME A PLT GOES PAST APCH FLAPS WITH THE GEAR UP. SO DOES THE 200 MODEL. NOTE: I FEEL THAT NOT HAVING THE GEAR HORN GO OFF WHEN PAST APCH FLAPS REGARDLESS OF THE POWER SETTINGS, IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS, BUT WILL LEAD TO MANY MORE GEAR UP LNDGS. I FEEL THE FAA SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. WE HAVE HAD TWO GEAR UP LNDGS IN THE PAST FOUR YRS BY TWO DIFFERENT PLTS FOR THE SAME REASON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THIS WAS THE SECOND GEAR UP LNDG IN THEIR AIRPLANE FLEET OF BEECH 100 ACFT DIRECTLY CAUSED BY NO LNDG GEAR WARNING. THE RPTR SAID THESE AIRPLANES ARE ALL RISEBECK MODIFICATIONS WHICH ADDED FOUR BLADED PROPELLERS, TAIL FINS AND INCREASED THE MAX PAYLOAD BY 1000 LBS. THE RPTR STATED THE MODIFICATION ALSO CHANGED THE LNDG PERFORMANCE IN THAT 400 LBS OF ENG TORQUE MUST BE HELD RIGHT INTO THE FLAIR AT A NORMAL LNDG SPEED OF 100 KNOTS. THE RPTR SAID THE LNDG GEAR WARNING IS ACTIVATED BELOW 400 LBS OF ENG TORQUE WHICH MEANS IT WILL BE ACTIVATED ONLY ON THE GND. IT APPEARS THE MANUFACTURER AND THE MODIFICATION FAC CLAIM NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE POWER LEVER SWITCH SETTING BELOW 400 LBS OF TORQUE WHICH CANNOT MEET THE AIRPLANE FLT PERFORMANCE. THE RPTR SAID THE FLT OPS MANUAL HAS NOT BEEN REVISED AND ONLY STATES THE CONDITIONS WHEN THE HORN WILL SOUND WITH NO ENG TORQUE FIGURES. APPARENTLY MAINT WILL NOT ADJUST THE POWER LEVER SWITCHES TO MATCH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT SOME APPROVED AUTHORIZATION. THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE INCURRED DAMAGE TO BOTH ENGS AND PROPELLERS, BUT THE AIRFRAME WAS UNDAMAGED AS THE LOWER FUSELAGE COMPOSITE CARGO POD SUPPORTED THE AIRFRAME DURING GND CONTACT.

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.