Narrative:

On dec/wed/03 at approximately XD15, I had a propeller strike at pellston airport. There were no injuries nor property damage other than the aircraft propellers and underbelly antenna. After the strike, a successful go around to runway 32 was conducted. The trip started at oakland pontiac airport at XA30. Initially, the trip was planned to go to harbor springs first but due to WX, the destination was changed to go to ste st marie to drop the first passenger. The harbor springs (mgn) AWOS was checked on the flight north. A normal flight and ILS approach was conducted at ciu. The flight then departed for mgn. The route took the aircraft over the pln VOR and outbound on the 227 degree radial which went over mgn at 3000 ft. The airport could not be located and the VOR approach was requested. A normal approach was flown to MDA and the airport could not be idented. I executed a missed approach and called ZMP. ZMP controller assigned a heading of 090 degrees and climb to 4000 ft. I cleaned up the plane (flaps and gear) and started the climb. I dialed in the pln ASOS to get the current WX. After looking up the approach minimums, I concluded that the ILS runway 32 was the only option. ZMP controller asked for my intentions and I said that I would like the ILS runway 32 approach. They cleared me for the ILS runway 32 approach via the ennis transition. They also cleared me to 3000 ft. I have a noise canceling headset and the batteries were getting low, so the canceling feature wasn't working. When this happens, radio xmissions become difficult to understand. I was unfamiliar with ennis intersection. I spent valuable time trying to find ennis on either the approach or en route chart. I never did find it, but in some clutter on the chart. I found eddis which is what he must have said. The 2 words sound the same. I immediately dialed in eddis on the RNAV #1 and the pln 350 degree radial on #2 navigation. By this time, I was descending to 3000 ft, but was at the 170 degree inbound radial before I realized it (it is only 10 mi from mgn miss to the radial). I immediately rejoined the inbound radial to the eddis intersection. By the time I reset the navigation #1 to the localizer, I had intersected the localizer and momentarily went though it, but remained at 3000 ft until established. I recaptured the localizer and started down to 2500 ft. I set up the navigation #2 on 197 degree radial (OM) and turned on the marker tone. The approach was normal and when I broke out at about 300 ft and converted to visual flight, I lined up with the centerline and started the final check for landing. I always look down to verify the gear lights just before the final power reduction. Then I realized the gear lights were not on, and my initial thought was that there must northeast an electrical failure because in all past lndgs they have always been on. I checked the radios and they were on. I then realized the gear wasn't down. I immediately initiated a go around and just as the power came up, I heard the propellers hit. I pulled straight up and then turned right because I wanted to stay near the airport in case of problems. I initially didn't know how well the plane would fly, but it seemed to run without noticeable vibration. I tried to get back to runway 23 but couldn't make a tight enough turn. I overflew the airport at midfield intentionally keeping the runway within gliding distance if anything happened. Another plane called and asked if I had landed and I said that I had a problem. I then turned left and entered a downwind and base for runway 32 and completed a normal landing (with the gear). Extenuating circumstances compounded this approach. The distance from the missed approached to the eddis transition is only 10 mi. Selecting the approach options consumed time. The headset problem caused me to misunderstand the ennis transition. The rapid climb for radar identify and subsequent descent complicated the search for the intersection. By the time I became aware of my position, I was already at the transition and then things happened fast. The time from miss at harbor springs to the transition seemed very short and with the climbs, dscnts, turns, and intercepts it requires instant action. I also should have asked for vectors and had more time to set up which is normallythe case on a missed approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA31 PLT HAS A GEAR UP LNDG AT PLN.

Narrative: ON DEC/WED/03 AT APPROX XD15, I HAD A PROP STRIKE AT PELLSTON ARPT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES NOR PROPERTY DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE ACFT PROPS AND UNDERBELLY ANTENNA. AFTER THE STRIKE, A SUCCESSFUL GAR TO RWY 32 WAS CONDUCTED. THE TRIP STARTED AT OAKLAND PONTIAC ARPT AT XA30. INITIALLY, THE TRIP WAS PLANNED TO GO TO HARBOR SPRINGS FIRST BUT DUE TO WX, THE DEST WAS CHANGED TO GO TO STE ST MARIE TO DROP THE FIRST PAX. THE HARBOR SPRINGS (MGN) AWOS WAS CHKED ON THE FLT N. A NORMAL FLT AND ILS APCH WAS CONDUCTED AT CIU. THE FLT THEN DEPARTED FOR MGN. THE RTE TOOK THE ACFT OVER THE PLN VOR AND OUTBOUND ON THE 227 DEG RADIAL WHICH WENT OVER MGN AT 3000 FT. THE ARPT COULD NOT BE LOCATED AND THE VOR APCH WAS REQUESTED. A NORMAL APCH WAS FLOWN TO MDA AND THE ARPT COULD NOT BE IDENTED. I EXECUTED A MISSED APCH AND CALLED ZMP. ZMP CTLR ASSIGNED A HDG OF 090 DEGS AND CLB TO 4000 FT. I CLEANED UP THE PLANE (FLAPS AND GEAR) AND STARTED THE CLB. I DIALED IN THE PLN ASOS TO GET THE CURRENT WX. AFTER LOOKING UP THE APCH MINIMUMS, I CONCLUDED THAT THE ILS RWY 32 WAS THE ONLY OPTION. ZMP CTLR ASKED FOR MY INTENTIONS AND I SAID THAT I WOULD LIKE THE ILS RWY 32 APCH. THEY CLRED ME FOR THE ILS RWY 32 APCH VIA THE ENNIS TRANSITION. THEY ALSO CLRED ME TO 3000 FT. I HAVE A NOISE CANCELING HEADSET AND THE BATTERIES WERE GETTING LOW, SO THE CANCELING FEATURE WASN'T WORKING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, RADIO XMISSIONS BECOME DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH ENNIS INTXN. I SPENT VALUABLE TIME TRYING TO FIND ENNIS ON EITHER THE APCH OR ENRTE CHART. I NEVER DID FIND IT, BUT IN SOME CLUTTER ON THE CHART. I FOUND EDDIS WHICH IS WHAT HE MUST HAVE SAID. THE 2 WORDS SOUND THE SAME. I IMMEDIATELY DIALED IN EDDIS ON THE RNAV #1 AND THE PLN 350 DEG RADIAL ON #2 NAV. BY THIS TIME, I WAS DSNDING TO 3000 FT, BUT WAS AT THE 170 DEG INBOUND RADIAL BEFORE I REALIZED IT (IT IS ONLY 10 MI FROM MGN MISS TO THE RADIAL). I IMMEDIATELY REJOINED THE INBOUND RADIAL TO THE EDDIS INTXN. BY THE TIME I RESET THE NAV #1 TO THE LOC, I HAD INTERSECTED THE LOC AND MOMENTARILY WENT THOUGH IT, BUT REMAINED AT 3000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED. I RECAPTURED THE LOC AND STARTED DOWN TO 2500 FT. I SET UP THE NAV #2 ON 197 DEG RADIAL (OM) AND TURNED ON THE MARKER TONE. THE APCH WAS NORMAL AND WHEN I BROKE OUT AT ABOUT 300 FT AND CONVERTED TO VISUAL FLT, I LINED UP WITH THE CTRLINE AND STARTED THE FINAL CHK FOR LNDG. I ALWAYS LOOK DOWN TO VERIFY THE GEAR LIGHTS JUST BEFORE THE FINAL PWR REDUCTION. THEN I REALIZED THE GEAR LIGHTS WERE NOT ON, AND MY INITIAL THOUGHT WAS THAT THERE MUST NE AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE BECAUSE IN ALL PAST LNDGS THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON. I CHKED THE RADIOS AND THEY WERE ON. I THEN REALIZED THE GEAR WASN'T DOWN. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A GAR AND JUST AS THE PWR CAME UP, I HEARD THE PROPS HIT. I PULLED STRAIGHT UP AND THEN TURNED R BECAUSE I WANTED TO STAY NEAR THE ARPT IN CASE OF PROBS. I INITIALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW WELL THE PLANE WOULD FLY, BUT IT SEEMED TO RUN WITHOUT NOTICEABLE VIBRATION. I TRIED TO GET BACK TO RWY 23 BUT COULDN'T MAKE A TIGHT ENOUGH TURN. I OVERFLEW THE ARPT AT MIDFIELD INTENTIONALLY KEEPING THE RWY WITHIN GLIDING DISTANCE IF ANYTHING HAPPENED. ANOTHER PLANE CALLED AND ASKED IF I HAD LANDED AND I SAID THAT I HAD A PROB. I THEN TURNED L AND ENTERED A DOWNWIND AND BASE FOR RWY 32 AND COMPLETED A NORMAL LNDG (WITH THE GEAR). EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES COMPOUNDED THIS APCH. THE DISTANCE FROM THE MISSED APCHED TO THE EDDIS TRANSITION IS ONLY 10 MI. SELECTING THE APCH OPTIONS CONSUMED TIME. THE HEADSET PROB CAUSED ME TO MISUNDERSTAND THE ENNIS TRANSITION. THE RAPID CLB FOR RADAR IDENT AND SUBSEQUENT DSCNT COMPLICATED THE SEARCH FOR THE INTXN. BY THE TIME I BECAME AWARE OF MY POS, I WAS ALREADY AT THE TRANSITION AND THEN THINGS HAPPENED FAST. THE TIME FROM MISS AT HARBOR SPRINGS TO THE TRANSITION SEEMED VERY SHORT AND WITH THE CLBS, DSCNTS, TURNS, AND INTERCEPTS IT REQUIRES INSTANT ACTION. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR VECTORS AND HAD MORE TIME TO SET UP WHICH IS NORMALLYTHE CASE ON A MISSED APCH.

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.