Narrative:

Except for gliders, it had been nearly 2 decades since I had flown anything other than heavy jet aircraft for the airlines. I had always wanted to get back into flying single engine aircraft for pleasure purposes only, having about 2300 hours in many makes and models of single engine aircraft including the C-210 in which I have approximately 844 hours. The opportunity had finally come when I joined a flying club. I realized that even though I had accumulated over 14000 hours total time in all types of WX, aircraft and operations, I knew that I wouldn't feel comfortable flying the C-210 unless I went up with an instructor and re-familiarized myself with its checklist and aircraft manuals. On dec/sat/03, I got an instructor and we went up and did some lndgs and went over a few things. After the flight, I felt comfortable and excited about flying the small aircraft again. Dec/fri/03 was a clear, calm day with excellent visibility. I did a thorough preflight of the C-210 including removing what little frost and ice that was on the aircraft. My plan was to just hop around central ohio. I brought along 2 relatives who wanted to ride along with me. I got the checklist out and accomplished the before start, start, after start, taxi and before takeoff checklists. Pretty much all of these items I still remembered even from rote, however, I just wanted to make sure. The departure from the ohio state university and climb to 3000 ft MSL was uneventful. I put the gear up, adjusted the power for climb and cruise, closed the cowl flaps and leaned it out. I decided to fly to urbana, oh, which is only about 35 mi away. En route, I played with the GPS navigation system. Approaching urbana, I listened to the automated WX and decided on runway 22. I announced my intentions on unicom and overflew the airport from east to west above the traffic pattern and entered an upwind leg while descending to the pattern altitude all the while announcing crosswind, downwind, base leg and final. I extended 10 degrees of flaps, pushed the mixture full rich and the throttle full forward. Turning base, I put in some more flaps and turning final, full flaps. I can remember that during my chkout, I was approaching and landing a little fast, so my main focus I believe was on speed control. On short final, my speed was right on and I was in the slot. The flare was very nice and I was just waiting for a smooth landing. However, I started hearing metal scraping and before I knew it, we were sliding down the runway with the gear still in the 'up' position. To say the least, I was stunned. I have always been very aware of how I operate an aircraft and consider myself to be very safe. I have been flying for 31 yrs without any problem. I have had the very best training and have been a flight instructor myself. As I now look back on it, I feel there were factors that contributed to this. For many yrs, I have been in a system that relies heavily on CRM, which I believe is great. Even with that, I have had my own little backups including always checking that the flaps and gear are down at about 500 ft and a few other little items. However, when I went to fly the single engine, the mindset is different. One, it's single pilot and there is no one to back you up and you think it is a 'little airplane' and that changes the mindset. I don't even remember if I even thought about putting the gear down. Maybe I thought it was already down. Maybe I thought it was a fixed gear. I can't remember. As I look back, I think what I really needed was a lot more touch-and-goes so I could have not only the gump checklist but a set of actions. Actions that would automatically reminded me to do things in a sequence, like flaps 10 degrees, gear down. Repetition is the answer. I knew what gump was but I think I only did the 'mp' part. As of now, I think that what I should do is 'get back on the horse,' but this is devastating to not only me personally but professionally. I have prided myself on being not only the best pilot I can be but the safest. I think that when I go back to flying single engine that I will stay with fixed gear aircraft so I can enjoy flying. If I ever do go back to complex singles, I will first get drilled in procedures. Also, I believe flight instructors are a little timid when it comes to giving pilots like me the real training we need and to point out my faults. They should realize that I am coming to them and that I need the instruction, whatever it may be.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C-210 PLT LANDED GEAR UP WHEN HE FORGOT TO LOWER THE GEAR.

Narrative: EXCEPT FOR GLIDERS, IT HAD BEEN NEARLY 2 DECADES SINCE I HAD FLOWN ANYTHING OTHER THAN HVY JET ACFT FOR THE AIRLINES. I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO GET BACK INTO FLYING SINGLE ENG ACFT FOR PLEASURE PURPOSES ONLY, HAVING ABOUT 2300 HRS IN MANY MAKES AND MODELS OF SINGLE ENG ACFT INCLUDING THE C-210 IN WHICH I HAVE APPROX 844 HRS. THE OPPORTUNITY HAD FINALLY COME WHEN I JOINED A FLYING CLUB. I REALIZED THAT EVEN THOUGH I HAD ACCUMULATED OVER 14000 HRS TOTAL TIME IN ALL TYPES OF WX, ACFT AND OPS, I KNEW THAT I WOULDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE FLYING THE C-210 UNLESS I WENT UP WITH AN INSTRUCTOR AND RE-FAMILIARIZED MYSELF WITH ITS CHKLIST AND ACFT MANUALS. ON DEC/SAT/03, I GOT AN INSTRUCTOR AND WE WENT UP AND DID SOME LNDGS AND WENT OVER A FEW THINGS. AFTER THE FLT, I FELT COMFORTABLE AND EXCITED ABOUT FLYING THE SMALL ACFT AGAIN. DEC/FRI/03 WAS A CLR, CALM DAY WITH EXCELLENT VISIBILITY. I DID A THOROUGH PREFLT OF THE C-210 INCLUDING REMOVING WHAT LITTLE FROST AND ICE THAT WAS ON THE ACFT. MY PLAN WAS TO JUST HOP AROUND CENTRAL OHIO. I BROUGHT ALONG 2 RELATIVES WHO WANTED TO RIDE ALONG WITH ME. I GOT THE CHKLIST OUT AND ACCOMPLISHED THE BEFORE START, START, AFTER START, TAXI AND BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS. PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THESE ITEMS I STILL REMEMBERED EVEN FROM ROTE, HOWEVER, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. THE DEP FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AND CLB TO 3000 FT MSL WAS UNEVENTFUL. I PUT THE GEAR UP, ADJUSTED THE PWR FOR CLB AND CRUISE, CLOSED THE COWL FLAPS AND LEANED IT OUT. I DECIDED TO FLY TO URBANA, OH, WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 35 MI AWAY. ENRTE, I PLAYED WITH THE GPS NAV SYS. APCHING URBANA, I LISTENED TO THE AUTOMATED WX AND DECIDED ON RWY 22. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON UNICOM AND OVERFLEW THE ARPT FROM E TO W ABOVE THE TFC PATTERN AND ENTERED AN UPWIND LEG WHILE DSNDING TO THE PATTERN ALT ALL THE WHILE ANNOUNCING XWIND, DOWNWIND, BASE LEG AND FINAL. I EXTENDED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS, PUSHED THE MIXTURE FULL RICH AND THE THROTTLE FULL FORWARD. TURNING BASE, I PUT IN SOME MORE FLAPS AND TURNING FINAL, FULL FLAPS. I CAN REMEMBER THAT DURING MY CHKOUT, I WAS APCHING AND LNDG A LITTLE FAST, SO MY MAIN FOCUS I BELIEVE WAS ON SPD CTL. ON SHORT FINAL, MY SPD WAS RIGHT ON AND I WAS IN THE SLOT. THE FLARE WAS VERY NICE AND I WAS JUST WAITING FOR A SMOOTH LNDG. HOWEVER, I STARTED HEARING METAL SCRAPING AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, WE WERE SLIDING DOWN THE RWY WITH THE GEAR STILL IN THE 'UP' POS. TO SAY THE LEAST, I WAS STUNNED. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY AWARE OF HOW I OPERATE AN ACFT AND CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE VERY SAFE. I HAVE BEEN FLYING FOR 31 YRS WITHOUT ANY PROB. I HAVE HAD THE VERY BEST TRAINING AND HAVE BEEN A FLT INSTRUCTOR MYSELF. AS I NOW LOOK BACK ON IT, I FEEL THERE WERE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS. FOR MANY YRS, I HAVE BEEN IN A SYS THAT RELIES HEAVILY ON CRM, WHICH I BELIEVE IS GREAT. EVEN WITH THAT, I HAVE HAD MY OWN LITTLE BACKUPS INCLUDING ALWAYS CHKING THAT THE FLAPS AND GEAR ARE DOWN AT ABOUT 500 FT AND A FEW OTHER LITTLE ITEMS. HOWEVER, WHEN I WENT TO FLY THE SINGLE ENG, THE MINDSET IS DIFFERENT. ONE, IT'S SINGLE PLT AND THERE IS NO ONE TO BACK YOU UP AND YOU THINK IT IS A 'LITTLE AIRPLANE' AND THAT CHANGES THE MINDSET. I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER IF I EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT PUTTING THE GEAR DOWN. MAYBE I THOUGHT IT WAS ALREADY DOWN. MAYBE I THOUGHT IT WAS A FIXED GEAR. I CAN'T REMEMBER. AS I LOOK BACK, I THINK WHAT I REALLY NEEDED WAS A LOT MORE TOUCH-AND-GOES SO I COULD HAVE NOT ONLY THE GUMP CHKLIST BUT A SET OF ACTIONS. ACTIONS THAT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY REMINDED ME TO DO THINGS IN A SEQUENCE, LIKE FLAPS 10 DEGS, GEAR DOWN. REPETITION IS THE ANSWER. I KNEW WHAT GUMP WAS BUT I THINK I ONLY DID THE 'MP' PART. AS OF NOW, I THINK THAT WHAT I SHOULD DO IS 'GET BACK ON THE HORSE,' BUT THIS IS DEVASTATING TO NOT ONLY ME PERSONALLY BUT PROFESSIONALLY. I HAVE PRIDED MYSELF ON BEING NOT ONLY THE BEST PLT I CAN BE BUT THE SAFEST. I THINK THAT WHEN I GO BACK TO FLYING SINGLE ENG THAT I WILL STAY WITH FIXED GEAR ACFT SO I CAN ENJOY FLYING. IF I EVER DO GO BACK TO COMPLEX SINGLES, I WILL FIRST GET DRILLED IN PROCS. ALSO, I BELIEVE FLT INSTRUCTORS ARE A LITTLE TIMID WHEN IT COMES TO GIVING PLTS LIKE ME THE REAL TRAINING WE NEED AND TO POINT OUT MY FAULTS. THEY SHOULD REALIZE THAT I AM COMING TO THEM AND THAT I NEED THE INSTRUCTION, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.

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.