Narrative:

In the event of a low airspeed consistent with landing, the gear is designed to extend automatically. The only disadvantage of the gear extension system comes when practicing stall or MCA maneuvers or in the event of an emergency. In those configns the gear should fall automatically unless the pilot constantly holds an override lever in the up position. Mfg corrected this situation in 1972 when it added a holding pin to the automatic gear extension override mechanism. With this pin engaged the pilot does not have to hold his finger on the gear override. To warn that the pin is engaged, a yellow light installed on the dash right above the normal gear indicator lamps flashed to advise that automatic gear extension is locked out. I filed a VFR flight plan from my home airport, cps, to MO06. I had never been there, but it was the airport closest to my destination. It was a routine plan, a clear day, and no NOTAMS were received. When I announced my intentions of landing at hears, 2 other pilots on unicom advised that heart had been closed. Contacted approach again and requested vectors to lee's summit airport. En route, I examined my sectional, looking for runway alignment, altitude and frequencys. I was abeam the airport at 2500' when I spotted it. Approach released me again and I announced my intentions and turned crosswind to make a right hand approach. As I entered the downwind leg I began my gumps checklist. In retrospect, I have no clear recollection of pressing the gear down switch although had performed all the other items on the checklist. On final, I noted I was high, put in full flaps, and initiated a slip to loose some altitude. As I crossed the threshold, I began my flare. With the delicate control allowed by the laminar flow kit, I inched down toward the runway, waiting for the wheels to touch. Realizing in an instant that I had no gear, I put the throttle to the wall and began a go around. I heard a couple of pings and assumed I had scraped the runway. I learned later from observers on the ground that as I climbed to an altitude of about 20' my gear descended. I have no recollection of lowering it at that time, but I did observe the green lights. I recycled the gear on downwind. As I turned final, I contacted a pilot in the runup area and he verified that my gear was down. I taxied to the parking area and shut down, thinking I had possible done some belly damage. When the propeller stopped, I saw that it was curled. Minor damage was done to the left flap and an insignificant scrape to the right flap. The flaps had been in the full down position before the incident. On the following mon, we had the plane inspected by a mechanic at the airport in the presence of an FAA inspector. We drop checked the gear and found several abnormalities. When we tested the lockout feature, the yellow light did not go on. When we pulled the throttle back we did not receive the warning horn. We cycled the gear switch a couple of times and it worked correctly. We tested the lockout again, and this time the yellow warning light did begin to flash. The throttle happened to be in full forward at the time, and as we touched it to pull it back, the warning horn sounded. We concluded that the emergency gear activation microswitch was making only intermittent. Since I cannot definitely recall setting the gear down, I failed to double check my checklist. That was the biggest thing that went wrong. I've tried to make it a habit to make 1 last check on final, for gear down, propeller and moisture balls forward, and good airspeed. Secondarily, I did not get a gear up warning horn when I pulled the throttle back for descend. This I attribute to the failure of the micro switch. Secondarily, I did not get a gear up warning horn when I pulled the throttle back for descent. This I attribute to the failure of the microswitch. Third, the gear did not fall automatically. By the time I was above the runway, I was very near stall speed and even at that point the gear did not fall.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA ATTEMPTS LNDG WITH GEAR RETRACTED. STRIKES PROPELLER AND MAKES SUCCESSFUL GO AROUND. CLOSED ARPT NOT NOTAMED CLOSED.

Narrative: IN THE EVENT OF A LOW AIRSPD CONSISTENT WITH LNDG, THE GEAR IS DESIGNED TO EXTEND AUTOMATICALLY. THE ONLY DISADVANTAGE OF THE GEAR EXTENSION SYS COMES WHEN PRACTICING STALL OR MCA MANEUVERS OR IN THE EVENT OF AN EMER. IN THOSE CONFIGNS THE GEAR SHOULD FALL AUTOMATICALLY UNLESS THE PLT CONSTANTLY HOLDS AN OVERRIDE LEVER IN THE UP POS. MFG CORRECTED THIS SITUATION IN 1972 WHEN IT ADDED A HOLDING PIN TO THE AUTOMATIC GEAR EXTENSION OVERRIDE MECHANISM. WITH THIS PIN ENGAGED THE PLT DOES NOT HAVE TO HOLD HIS FINGER ON THE GEAR OVERRIDE. TO WARN THAT THE PIN IS ENGAGED, A YELLOW LIGHT INSTALLED ON THE DASH RIGHT ABOVE THE NORMAL GEAR INDICATOR LAMPS FLASHED TO ADVISE THAT AUTOMATIC GEAR EXTENSION IS LOCKED OUT. I FILED A VFR FLT PLAN FROM MY HOME ARPT, CPS, TO MO06. I HAD NEVER BEEN THERE, BUT IT WAS THE ARPT CLOSEST TO MY DEST. IT WAS A ROUTINE PLAN, A CLEAR DAY, AND NO NOTAMS WERE RECEIVED. WHEN I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS OF LNDG AT HEARS, 2 OTHER PLTS ON UNICOM ADVISED THAT HEART HAD BEEN CLOSED. CONTACTED APCH AGAIN AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO LEE'S SUMMIT ARPT. ENRTE, I EXAMINED MY SECTIONAL, LOOKING FOR RWY ALIGNMENT, ALT AND FREQS. I WAS ABEAM THE ARPT AT 2500' WHEN I SPOTTED IT. APCH RELEASED ME AGAIN AND I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS AND TURNED XWIND TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND APCH. AS I ENTERED THE DOWNWIND LEG I BEGAN MY GUMPS CHKLIST. IN RETROSPECT, I HAVE NO CLEAR RECOLLECTION OF PRESSING THE GEAR DOWN SWITCH ALTHOUGH HAD PERFORMED ALL THE OTHER ITEMS ON THE CHKLIST. ON FINAL, I NOTED I WAS HIGH, PUT IN FULL FLAPS, AND INITIATED A SLIP TO LOOSE SOME ALT. AS I CROSSED THE THRESHOLD, I BEGAN MY FLARE. WITH THE DELICATE CTL ALLOWED BY THE LAMINAR FLOW KIT, I INCHED DOWN TOWARD THE RWY, WAITING FOR THE WHEELS TO TOUCH. REALIZING IN AN INSTANT THAT I HAD NO GEAR, I PUT THE THROTTLE TO THE WALL AND BEGAN A GO AROUND. I HEARD A COUPLE OF PINGS AND ASSUMED I HAD SCRAPED THE RWY. I LEARNED LATER FROM OBSERVERS ON THE GND THAT AS I CLBED TO AN ALT OF ABOUT 20' MY GEAR DSNDED. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF LOWERING IT AT THAT TIME, BUT I DID OBSERVE THE GREEN LIGHTS. I RECYCLED THE GEAR ON DOWNWIND. AS I TURNED FINAL, I CONTACTED A PLT IN THE RUNUP AREA AND HE VERIFIED THAT MY GEAR WAS DOWN. I TAXIED TO THE PARKING AREA AND SHUT DOWN, THINKING I HAD POSSIBLE DONE SOME BELLY DAMAGE. WHEN THE PROP STOPPED, I SAW THAT IT WAS CURLED. MINOR DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE LEFT FLAP AND AN INSIGNIFICANT SCRAPE TO THE RIGHT FLAP. THE FLAPS HAD BEEN IN THE FULL DOWN POS BEFORE THE INCIDENT. ON THE FOLLOWING MON, WE HAD THE PLANE INSPECTED BY A MECH AT THE ARPT IN THE PRESENCE OF AN FAA INSPECTOR. WE DROP CHKED THE GEAR AND FOUND SEVERAL ABNORMALITIES. WHEN WE TESTED THE LOCKOUT FEATURE, THE YELLOW LIGHT DID NOT GO ON. WHEN WE PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK WE DID NOT RECEIVE THE WARNING HORN. WE CYCLED THE GEAR SWITCH A COUPLE OF TIMES AND IT WORKED CORRECTLY. WE TESTED THE LOCKOUT AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THE YELLOW WARNING LIGHT DID BEGIN TO FLASH. THE THROTTLE HAPPENED TO BE IN FULL FORWARD AT THE TIME, AND AS WE TOUCHED IT TO PULL IT BACK, THE WARNING HORN SOUNDED. WE CONCLUDED THAT THE EMER GEAR ACTIVATION MICROSWITCH WAS MAKING ONLY INTERMITTENT. SINCE I CANNOT DEFINITELY RECALL SETTING THE GEAR DOWN, I FAILED TO DOUBLE CHK MY CHKLIST. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING THAT WENT WRONG. I'VE TRIED TO MAKE IT A HABIT TO MAKE 1 LAST CHK ON FINAL, FOR GEAR DOWN, PROP AND MOISTURE BALLS FORWARD, AND GOOD AIRSPD. SECONDARILY, I DID NOT GET A GEAR UP WARNING HORN WHEN I PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK FOR DSND. THIS I ATTRIBUTE TO THE FAILURE OF THE MICRO SWITCH. SECONDARILY, I DID NOT GET A GEAR UP WARNING HORN WHEN I PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK FOR DSCNT. THIS I ATTRIBUTE TO THE FAILURE OF THE MICROSWITCH. THIRD, THE GEAR DID NOT FALL AUTOMATICALLY. BY THE TIME I WAS ABOVE THE RWY, I WAS VERY NEAR STALL SPD AND EVEN AT THAT POINT THE GEAR DID NOT FALL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.