FLC ON ACR MLG FAIL TO LOWER LNDG GEAR ON APCH IN HVY RAIN. CATCH ERROR AT 700 FT AGL.

Narrative

ON APCH TO RWY 29L AT MSP; UNFORECASTED; HVY RAIN SHOWERS MOVED OVER THE FIELD; OBSCURING VISIBILITY. RADAR PAINTED THE AREA RED (HVY PRECIPITATION); BUT BECAUSE A WDB AHEAD RPTED NO PROBS WE CONTINUED THE APCH. THE MLG'S RADAR ALWAYS PAINTS WX WORSE THAN IT IS. SLOWING TO 170 KTS PER APCH CTL; I COMMANDED FLAPS 3. USUALLY I SELECT GEAR DOWN WITH FLAPS 3; BUT WE WERE SO FAR OUT; I ELECTED TO KEEP IT RETRACTED TO SAVE FUEL AND VIBRATION ON THE AIR FRAME. AS WE APCHED THE MARKER (OM); I COMMANDED FULL FLAPS AND FINAL ITEMS TO BE READ ON THE LNDG CHKLIST. AT THE MARKER; WE WERE IN HVY RAIN WITH LIGHT/MODERATE TURB. I; AS PIC; WAS VERY CONCERNED AT THIS POINT WHAT WE WERE FLYING INTO. I KEPT ASKING THE FO FOR WX RPTS ON FINAL AND AT THE ARPT. MSP TWR AND APCH CTL SEEMED INDIFFERENT AND PAINTED A ROSY PICTURE. WE CONTINUED THE APCH. AT 700 FT AGL AND HVY; HVY RAIN; WE RECEIVED A COCKPIT WARNING STATING OUR GEAR WAS UP! IMMEDIATELY; I COMMANDED GEAR DOWN; FINAL ITEMS. AT 500 FT AGL; THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED; AND WE BROKE OUT OF THE RAIN AND GOT VISUAL ON RWY 29L AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. OBVIOUSLY; I WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT FLYING INTO A TSTM I FORGOT TO CALL FOR GEAR DOWN. OBVIOUSLY; THE FO WAS SO CONCERNED; HE FORGOT TO READ THE CHKLIST. TO PLTS WHO NEVER THOUGHT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO THEM; I HAVE NEWS FOR THEM -- IT CAN!