ACFT DAMAGED AFTER INITIALLY SCRAPING BOTTOM OF ACFT ON RWY WITH GEAR RETRACTED.
Synopsis
ACFT DAMAGED AFTER INITIALLY SCRAPING BOTTOM OF ACFT ON RWY WITH GEAR RETRACTED.
Narrative
HAVING NOT FLOWN AN ACFT FOR ALMOST 1 YR; I TOOK UP AN OFFER FROM A FRIEND; A PVT PLT; TO GO ALONG FOR A PLEASURE FLT. THE FLT WAS TO BE TO A NEARBY ARPT WHERE MY FRIEND; THE PIC; WOULD DO A FEW TOUCH-AND-GO'S; AND RETURN HOME. ON THE WAY TO THAT ARPT; WE CLBED TO ALT WHERE MY FRIEND DID SOME STEEP TURNS. HE DSNDED AND CONTINUED TO THE ARPT; AND ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN FOR THE FIRST TOUCH AND GO. TURNING FINAL; I REMINDED MY FRIEND OF THE 'GUMP' CHK. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN; I FELT A SHARP PAIN IN MY UPPER SINUSES; THE REMNANT OF A COLD. I DID THE VALSALVA MANEUVER TO RID MY HEAD OF THE PAIN. WE TOUCHED DOWN FOR A NORMAL LNDG AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK OFF FOR ANOTHER TOUCH AND GO. ESTABLISHED ON FINAL APCH; MY FRIEND OFFERED ME THE CTLS FOR THE LNDG. I TOOK THEM; BUT NOTICED I WOULD HAVE TO ADJUST THE SEAT FOR MY LEGS TO COMFORTABLY REACH THE RUDDER PEDALS. I TURNED THE YOKE BACK TO MY FRIEND AND TURNED MY HEAD DOWN TO FIND THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT AND SLID THE SEAT FORWARD. I THEN TOOK THE CTLS BACK AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE THE LNDG. FLARING TO LAND WITH PWR REDUCED; WE SUDDENLY HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND. I IMMEDIATELY ADDED SOME PWR AND THE ACFT CLBED A FEW FT. MY FRIEND IMMEDIATELY TOOK BACK THE CTLS AND PLACED THE LNDG GEAR SWITCH IN THE DOWN POS. HE THEN COMPLETED THE LNDG ON THE REMAINING RWY WHICH WAS AMPLY LONG. WE THEN TAXIED TO THE RAMP TO INSPECT FOR ANY DAMAGE. THE PROP TIPS WERE BENT AND THE AIRSTEP WAS SLIGHTLY SCRATCHED. THE MORAL OF THE STORY; AS I SEE IT: NON-CURRENCY IN ACFT TYPE; PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT; AND DISTR ON FINAL APCH (ADJUSTING THE SEAT); EQUALS INATTENTIVENESS AND COMPLACENCY (FAILURE TO RECITE THE 'GUMP' CHK MYSELF). THERE WAS ALSO FAILURE TO FOLLOW AN SOP WITH A CHKLIST; WHICH I WAS ACCUSTOMED TO IN 2 PLT JET OPS. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: ACFT'S GEAR WARNING HORN AND AUTO-EXTENSION SYS DIDN'T FUNCTION TO SAVE THE DAY. TODAY'S 'COMPLEX' SINGLE-ENG ACFT ARE NOT IDIOT-PROOF.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.