Incident Summary
During the landing rollout, the pilot inadvertently retracted the landing gear. The intended action was to retract the flaps, but the pilot moved the landing gear lever to the retracted position instead. An aural alarm activated, prompting the pilot to reverse the gear handle to the down position. However, the nosewheel partially retracted before the reversal, and the firewall sustained damage.
Sequence of Events
The incident occurred during the landing rollout. The pilot, intending to retract the flaps, mistakenly moved the landing gear lever to the up position. A built-in aural alarm sounded immediately. In response, the pilot moved the gear handle back to the down position. Despite this corrective action, the nosewheel had already partially retracted, and the forward movement caused the nose gear to impact the firewall structure, resulting in damage.
Findings
No mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified during the flight. The event was attributed solely to human error in selecting the incorrect lever. The aircraft sustained damage to the firewall area due to the partial retraction of the nosewheel.