Narrative:

I departed teb at XA35 hours for tmb, stopping at chs to refuel. I was delayed by headwinds and slow refueling, so I arrived in the miami area approximately an hour later than planned. I was on an IFR flight plan. I was cleared by miami approach from 2000 ft to 1500 ft as I approached tmb and given a heading of 270 degrees. The ceiling was 1800 ft and I saw the airport when it was abeam, and I was downwind for runway 9R. The tower asked me to extend my downwind left, then soon cleared me to land. I turned right base at 1500 ft, and my airspeed was 145 KIAS, so I had a lot of slowing to do. I dropped the gear and put in the first notch of flaps on base and was still too hot, so I reduced power to idle until my airspeed reached 125 KIAS and I could put in the second notch of flaps. Below 118 KIAS, on a 1/2 mi final, I put in full flaps, then turned on the landing light switch. The light did not come on, and I thought I might have hit the wrong switch, but I could see the runway clearly and I concentrated on the approach, instead of worrying about the landing light. I crossed the numbers at 80 KIAS, maintaining 200 ft pounds of torque, as trained, until I was in ground effect, then I pulled power smoothly and raised the nose. I landed firmly (not hard) and bounced once, and I heard an unusual buzzing noise briefly, then on second touchdown, heard the same noise again. (I was wearing a bose noise-canceling headset, so this was muted). It occurred to me that I may have had a propeller strike. Upon the second touchdown, the airplane veered sharply to the right, and I thought I must have blown the right main tire on the first touchdown. I reversed the propeller and applied full left rudder and brake in an effort to stay on the runway. This was partially effective, and I had greatly reduced my speed when the right main gear went off the runway in what turned out to be long wet grass on soft ground. The airplane spun 180 degrees to the right and settled fairly gently on its belly. I called the tower, reported that I had run off the runway and requested assistance. I left the main switch on so that the strobe lights would operate and help the assistance locate me. The tower told me to remain in the airplane. A truck arrived, and I shut down everything and exited the airplane. I was unhurt, and apart from the bent propeller, there was no other visible damage. With the help of an airport employee, I removed my luggage to a truck and was driven to the FBO where a car was waiting to take me to my hotel. I asked the truck driver if I should talk to anyone, perhaps the airport manager, and he said that everyone had left for the day and that I should call the ramp the following morning. I wrote down the name of my home and my florida and new york city addresses and phone numbers and left the airport. As I was leaving my hotel room for a dinner engagement, an FAA inspector phoned. I told him that I was late for dinner, but would phone him sunday morning. On sunday morning, I phoned the FAA inspector and told him what had happened. I asked him why he was interested, since the accident involved no serious structural damage and no injuries. He replied that he was interested because I had left the scene. I explained that there was nothing further I could do at the scene. He insisted that I write an account of the accident. Later, I spoke to the person who recovered the airplane and removed it to a hangar. I was surprised to hear from him that none of the tires had blown and that the gear lever was in the up position. I have no recollection of moving the gear lever to the up position. I am certain that the gear was down and locked for 3 reasons: 1) I followed the procedure learned in training for lowering the gear. 2) the airplane is aerodynamically very slippery, and I could not have slowed it to the final approach speed from 1500 ft without the gear being down. 3) when I touched down I bounced, which would not have happened in a gear-up landing, and I was rolling until the airplane departed the runway. I cannot explain why the gear lever was found to be in the up position.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA46-350 PLT LANDS GEAR UP AT TMB.

Narrative: I DEPARTED TEB AT XA35 HRS FOR TMB, STOPPING AT CHS TO REFUEL. I WAS DELAYED BY HEADWINDS AND SLOW REFUELING, SO I ARRIVED IN THE MIAMI AREA APPROX AN HR LATER THAN PLANNED. I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS CLRED BY MIAMI APCH FROM 2000 FT TO 1500 FT AS I APCHED TMB AND GIVEN A HDG OF 270 DEGS. THE CEILING WAS 1800 FT AND I SAW THE ARPT WHEN IT WAS ABEAM, AND I WAS DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9R. THE TWR ASKED ME TO EXTEND MY DOWNWIND L, THEN SOON CLRED ME TO LAND. I TURNED R BASE AT 1500 FT, AND MY AIRSPD WAS 145 KIAS, SO I HAD A LOT OF SLOWING TO DO. I DROPPED THE GEAR AND PUT IN THE FIRST NOTCH OF FLAPS ON BASE AND WAS STILL TOO HOT, SO I REDUCED PWR TO IDLE UNTIL MY AIRSPD REACHED 125 KIAS AND I COULD PUT IN THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS. BELOW 118 KIAS, ON A 1/2 MI FINAL, I PUT IN FULL FLAPS, THEN TURNED ON THE LNDG LIGHT SWITCH. THE LIGHT DID NOT COME ON, AND I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE HIT THE WRONG SWITCH, BUT I COULD SEE THE RWY CLRLY AND I CONCENTRATED ON THE APCH, INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT THE LNDG LIGHT. I CROSSED THE NUMBERS AT 80 KIAS, MAINTAINING 200 FT LBS OF TORQUE, AS TRAINED, UNTIL I WAS IN GND EFFECT, THEN I PULLED PWR SMOOTHLY AND RAISED THE NOSE. I LANDED FIRMLY (NOT HARD) AND BOUNCED ONCE, AND I HEARD AN UNUSUAL BUZZING NOISE BRIEFLY, THEN ON SECOND TOUCHDOWN, HEARD THE SAME NOISE AGAIN. (I WAS WEARING A BOSE NOISE-CANCELING HEADSET, SO THIS WAS MUTED). IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I MAY HAVE HAD A PROP STRIKE. UPON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRPLANE VEERED SHARPLY TO THE R, AND I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE BLOWN THE R MAIN TIRE ON THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN. I REVERSED THE PROP AND APPLIED FULL L RUDDER AND BRAKE IN AN EFFORT TO STAY ON THE RWY. THIS WAS PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE, AND I HAD GREATLY REDUCED MY SPD WHEN THE R MAIN GEAR WENT OFF THE RWY IN WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE LONG WET GRASS ON SOFT GND. THE AIRPLANE SPUN 180 DEGS TO THE R AND SETTLED FAIRLY GENTLY ON ITS BELLY. I CALLED THE TWR, RPTED THAT I HAD RUN OFF THE RWY AND REQUESTED ASSISTANCE. I LEFT THE MAIN SWITCH ON SO THAT THE STROBE LIGHTS WOULD OPERATE AND HELP THE ASSISTANCE LOCATE ME. THE TWR TOLD ME TO REMAIN IN THE AIRPLANE. A TRUCK ARRIVED, AND I SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING AND EXITED THE AIRPLANE. I WAS UNHURT, AND APART FROM THE BENT PROP, THERE WAS NO OTHER VISIBLE DAMAGE. WITH THE HELP OF AN ARPT EMPLOYEE, I REMOVED MY LUGGAGE TO A TRUCK AND WAS DRIVEN TO THE FBO WHERE A CAR WAS WAITING TO TAKE ME TO MY HOTEL. I ASKED THE TRUCK DRIVER IF I SHOULD TALK TO ANYONE, PERHAPS THE ARPT MGR, AND HE SAID THAT EVERYONE HAD LEFT FOR THE DAY AND THAT I SHOULD CALL THE RAMP THE FOLLOWING MORNING. I WROTE DOWN THE NAME OF MY HOME AND MY FLORIDA AND NEW YORK CITY ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS AND LEFT THE ARPT. AS I WAS LEAVING MY HOTEL ROOM FOR A DINNER ENGAGEMENT, AN FAA INSPECTOR PHONED. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS LATE FOR DINNER, BUT WOULD PHONE HIM SUNDAY MORNING. ON SUNDAY MORNING, I PHONED THE FAA INSPECTOR AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I ASKED HIM WHY HE WAS INTERESTED, SINCE THE ACCIDENT INVOLVED NO SERIOUS STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES. HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS INTERESTED BECAUSE I HAD LEFT THE SCENE. I EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING FURTHER I COULD DO AT THE SCENE. HE INSISTED THAT I WRITE AN ACCOUNT OF THE ACCIDENT. LATER, I SPOKE TO THE PERSON WHO RECOVERED THE AIRPLANE AND REMOVED IT TO A HANGAR. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR FROM HIM THAT NONE OF THE TIRES HAD BLOWN AND THAT THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN THE UP POS. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF MOVING THE GEAR LEVER TO THE UP POS. I AM CERTAIN THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED FOR 3 REASONS: 1) I FOLLOWED THE PROC LEARNED IN TRAINING FOR LOWERING THE GEAR. 2) THE AIRPLANE IS AERODYNAMICALLY VERY SLIPPERY, AND I COULD NOT HAVE SLOWED IT TO THE FINAL APCH SPD FROM 1500 FT WITHOUT THE GEAR BEING DOWN. 3) WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN I BOUNCED, WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IN A GEAR-UP LNDG, AND I WAS ROLLING UNTIL THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RWY. I CANNOT EXPLAIN WHY THE GEAR LEVER WAS FOUND TO BE IN THE UP POS.

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.