On September 16, 1988, a Cessna T310R (registration N5126J) operated by Edward E. Dye was involved in an aviation accident near LA Verne, CA. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot troubleshooting a right engine fuel flow gauge took off for inflight assessment, then returned to land. During the landing flare, the pilot lowered the nose after mistaking the gear-up warning horn for a stall warning, resulting in a collision with the runway with the landing gear retracted.
Accident Overview
The pilot of an airplane was troubleshooting a problem with the fuel flow system. During the preflight run-up, he noticed that the fuel flow gauge for the right engine was reading too high. He decided to take off to see if he could determine the problem in flight.
Flight Details
Once airborne, the gauge indicated a value that the pilot considered excessive. Consequently, he returned to the airport to land. The pilot made a no-flap approach with power set above ten inches of manifold pressure. This configuration does not allow activation of the airplane's gear-up warning system.
Landing Sequence
During the landing flare, the pilot reduced power, which activated the gear-up warning horn. The pilot mistakenly thought that this was the stall warning horn and lowered the nose to land. The airplane subsequently collided with the runway.