SMA PLT PRACTICING ENG OUT LNDG PROC FORGETS GEAR AND LANDS GEAR UP. PLT BLAMES POOR JUDGEMENT AND NOT COMPLETING THE CHKLIST AS REASONS.

Date: 1996-12 · Aircraft: PA-28R Cherokee Arrow All Series

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SMA PLT PRACTICING ENG OUT LNDG PROC FORGETS GEAR AND LANDS GEAR UP. PLT BLAMES POOR JUDGEMENT AND NOT COMPLETING THE CHKLIST AS REASONS.

Narrative

TAXIED BACK TO RWY 27 FOR A SHORT/SOFT FIELD TKOF. I SET MY FLAPS TO 25 DEGS; ENGAGED GEAR IN OVERRIDE POS AND ROTATED AT APPROX 62 MPH. I ACCELERATED TO THE VX BEST ANGLE CLB SPD OF 85 MPH. I RETRACTED THE GEAR AND FLAPS AND PROCEEDED DOWNWIND TO RWY 27. I CALLED A L BASE PAST THE NUMBERS ON DOWNWIND AND DECIDED TO DO A SURPRISE SIMULATED ENG FAILURE. I CALLED THE SIMULATED ENG FAILURE OUT TO THE TWR; ACHIEVED BEST GLIDE SPD OF 105 MPH AND CONCENTRATED ON MAKING THE FIELD (RWY). ON SHORT FINAL SOMEONE SAID 'AREN'T YOU GLAD YOU'RE NOT WITH HOUSTON?' I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE TWR OR NOT SO I SAID 'HOUSTON!' AND THAT SAME SOMEONE SAID 'YEAH; FROM THE OTHER NIGHT.' I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT AND THEN PROCEEDED TO FLARE. I NOTICED THAT I APPEARED TO BE IN GND EFFECT A LITTLE LONGER THAN NORMAL; INITIALLY THINKING THAT'S JUST BECAUSE MY APCH WAS 15 MPH FASTER THAN NORMAL AND BECAUSE I HAD NO FLAPS. WHEN I THOUGHT OF NO FLAPS I THOUGHT OF NO GEAR. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME I FELT THE BACK OF THE BOTTOM OF FUSELAGE SCRAPE THE GND. I DECIDED INSTEAD OF PULLING UP AT THAT POINT AND ADDING PWR TO JUST CONTINUE THE GEAR UP LNDG. ESTIMATED SPD AT TOUCHDOWN WAS PROBABLY AROUND 50-55 MPH. THE PLANE STOPPED QUICKLY BUT SMOOTHLY CONSIDERING NO GEAR. I THEN ACKNOWLEDGED TWR THAT I HAD GEAR UP LNDG AND TURNED OFF MASTER AND MAGNETOS. I THEN WALKED OUT AND AWAY FROM THE PLANE. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING: 1) INCOMPLETE TKOF CHKLIST FOR SHORT/SOFT FIELD TKOF TO UNPIN GEAR. 2) POOR JUDGEMENT AND UNPLANNED SIMULATED ENG FAILURE. 3) INABILITY TO COMPLETE LNDG CHKLIST; IE; GEAR DOWN SELECTION; DUE TO INSUFFICIENT ALT; TIME. 4) COM SHOULD HAVE COME AFTER AVIATING; NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND; ESPECIALLY COM ABOUT NOTHING RELEVANT. 5) SIMULATED ENG FAILURE TOOK ME AWAY FROM NORMAL APCH; CHKLIST (GUMPS) SPDS; TIME; ETC.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.