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PA32 pilot lands gear up despite gear handle in the extended position.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 746194 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200707 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | agl single value : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | landing : roll |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : private |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 20 flight time total : 550 flight time type : 70 |
| ASRS Report | 746194 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | aircraft : evacuated none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
About 10 mi southwest of airport; center handed me to control tower and I reported to them inbound to runway 9L with current ATIS. They asked me to report 2 mi from runway 9L and instead they called me 2.3 mi out advising clear runway 9L for landing. At about 10 mi out; I had slowed the airplane and went through my landing checklist; including putting down the landing gear handle. I remember seeing 3 green shortly thereafter and proceeded with the landing. As I flared; I heard the sound of metal on the runway; but at the time did not know what the noise was. I quickly dropped the nose to complete the landing; fearing a fire or some part of the airplane coming apart. As I did so; the nose started to bounce and I had to use rudder to control and maintain centerline. Eventually rudder had no effect and the airplane started to swerve on the runway; but it quickly came to a stop. I quickly shut down the airplane to avoid fire and left the craft; only then to discover a gear-up landing. Looking into the cabin from the outside; I found the gear lever in the 'down' position. I did not have visual; aural; or tower warning that the gear was up. Upon examination of the craft 4 days later with the FAA examiner and a certified mechanic; it was discovered that the breaker to the landing gear lever was malfunctioning; and that breaker also controled the gear up warning light and aural alert. The breaker would come in and out; and was defective in that it did not pop out when it was supposed to. I believe I could have still known of a gear-up event and used the emergency gear down lever if I had been listening for back-up cues like the sound of dropping gear and feeling the drag of the gear as it dropped. Instead; I was focused on runway visual approach; tower communication; engine settings; etc; in a new airport. Familiarity breeds carelessness. Hours of experience trusting the gear down lever to bring down the gear was a factor in missing the back-up cues; which could have saved the day.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA32 PLT LANDS GEAR UP DESPITE GEAR HANDLE IN THE EXTENDED POSITION.
Narrative: ABOUT 10 MI SW OF ARPT; CTR HANDED ME TO CTL TWR AND I RPTED TO THEM INBOUND TO RWY 9L WITH CURRENT ATIS. THEY ASKED ME TO RPT 2 MI FROM RWY 9L AND INSTEAD THEY CALLED ME 2.3 MI OUT ADVISING CLR RWY 9L FOR LNDG. AT ABOUT 10 MI OUT; I HAD SLOWED THE AIRPLANE AND WENT THROUGH MY LNDG CHKLIST; INCLUDING PUTTING DOWN THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE. I REMEMBER SEEING 3 GREEN SHORTLY THEREAFTER AND PROCEEDED WITH THE LNDG. AS I FLARED; I HEARD THE SOUND OF METAL ON THE RWY; BUT AT THE TIME DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE NOISE WAS. I QUICKLY DROPPED THE NOSE TO COMPLETE THE LNDG; FEARING A FIRE OR SOME PART OF THE AIRPLANE COMING APART. AS I DID SO; THE NOSE STARTED TO BOUNCE AND I HAD TO USE RUDDER TO CTL AND MAINTAIN CTRLINE. EVENTUALLY RUDDER HAD NO EFFECT AND THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO SWERVE ON THE RWY; BUT IT QUICKLY CAME TO A STOP. I QUICKLY SHUT DOWN THE AIRPLANE TO AVOID FIRE AND LEFT THE CRAFT; ONLY THEN TO DISCOVER A GEAR-UP LNDG. LOOKING INTO THE CABIN FROM THE OUTSIDE; I FOUND THE GEAR LEVER IN THE 'DOWN' POS. I DID NOT HAVE VISUAL; AURAL; OR TWR WARNING THAT THE GEAR WAS UP. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE CRAFT 4 DAYS LATER WITH THE FAA EXAMINER AND A CERTIFIED MECH; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE BREAKER TO THE LNDG GEAR LEVER WAS MALFUNCTIONING; AND THAT BREAKER ALSO CTLED THE GEAR UP WARNING LIGHT AND AURAL ALERT. THE BREAKER WOULD COME IN AND OUT; AND WAS DEFECTIVE IN THAT IT DID NOT POP OUT WHEN IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. I BELIEVE I COULD HAVE STILL KNOWN OF A GEAR-UP EVENT AND USED THE EMER GEAR DOWN LEVER IF I HAD BEEN LISTENING FOR BACK-UP CUES LIKE THE SOUND OF DROPPING GEAR AND FEELING THE DRAG OF THE GEAR AS IT DROPPED. INSTEAD; I WAS FOCUSED ON RWY VISUAL APCH; TWR COM; ENG SETTINGS; ETC; IN A NEW ARPT. FAMILIARITY BREEDS CARELESSNESS. HRS OF EXPERIENCE TRUSTING THE GEAR DOWN LEVER TO BRING DOWN THE GEAR WAS A FACTOR IN MISSING THE BACK-UP CUES; WHICH COULD HAVE SAVED THE DAY.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.