A PA44; PIPER SEMINOLE; MAKES A GEAR UP TOUCHDOWN AT BFM; AL. ACFT SUFFERS PROP DAMAGE ALONG WITH TAILSKID STRIKE AND BOTTOM OF AIRSTEP RUBBED.

Narrative

WHILE CONDUCTING A PRACTICAL ATP CHK RIDE AT APPROX XX00 AM DEC/MON/97; IN A PA44-180; THE ACFT CONTACTED THE GND WITH THE GEAR UP AND PWR AT IDLE. DAMAGE CONSISTED OF 2-3 INCHES OF BOTH ENG PROP TIPS CURLED AFT; TAILSKID CONTACT AND BOTTOM OF AIRSTEP RUBBED. THERE WAS NO LNDG WITH THE GEAR UP AND NO DAMAGE OR CONTACT WITH FUSELAGE; WINGS; OR ENG NACELLE. NARRATIVE: ABSOLUTE ROUTINE AND UP TO THE INCIDENT AN ABOVE AVERAGE ATP CHK RIDE. THE APPLICANT WAS 2600 HR MIL PLT WITH A COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE L-382 RATING. HE WAS CURRENT IN C130'S AND HAD 4 HRS IN THE PA44. IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 61 HE WAS PIC. HIS PROCS AND CHKLIST USAGE HAD BEEN SATISFACTORY. WX WAS CLR; VISIBILITY 15+ MI; COLD UPPER 40'S AND SMOOTH. FLT WAS FROM PENSACOLA PNS TO MOBILE BFM WHERE HOLDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED FOLLOWED BY A VOR RWY 32; SINGLE ENG MISSED APCH; 2 ENG ILS TO DECISION HT; SIMULATED ENG FAILURE ON THE GO WITH AN EMER RETURN FOR A SINGLE ENG NO FLAP ILS TO TOUCHDOWN. THE LAST APCH WAS SMOOTH ON AIRSPD AND ON COURSE. DURING THE FLARE I SENSE THE ACFT WAS SETTLING A BIT LOW THEN I HEARD A SOUND SIMILAR TO A TAILSKID DRAGGING ON THE GND. THE AIRSPD WAS SUFFICIENT FOR ME TO TAKE CTL OF THE ACFT AND CLB TO 10-15 FT IN THE AIR; LOWER THE GEAR AND MAKE A LNDG. TAXIED ACFT TO MAINT AND INSPECTED FOR DAMAGES. THE QUESTION IS WHY? I HAVE FLOWN FOR 42 YRS AND HAVE OVER 1500 HRS IN TYPE; INCLUDING 11 YRS DOING EXAMINATIONS. SEVERAL FACTORS CERTAINLY DO PLAY. ONE IS DUTY TIME; I AM WORKING APPROX 10 HR DAYS AND IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER I HAVE WORKED 15 STRAIGHT DAYS. IN 1997; WITH THE RUSH TO THE AIRLINES; I HAVE BEEN WORKING 26 TO 27 DAYS A MONTH. COMBINE THAT WITH THE EVENTS OVER THE LAST 4 DAYS OF BAD WX AND DIFFICULT CHK RIDES ON THIS BEAUTIFUL CLR DAY AND SO FAR EXCELLENT RIDE; I MUST HAVE LET DOWN MY GUARD AND MISSED THE FAF GEAR LOWERING AND CHK. THERE WAS ALSO DISTR AT THE FINAL APCH FIX IN THAT THE HEATER HAD FAILED; IT WAS COLD AND I WAS TRYING TO GET IT BACK ON LINE. EVEN IF WE HAD MISSED THE GEAR CHK I SHOULD HAVE NOTICED THE GEAR DURING THE LAST 300 FT WHEN I ROUTINELY MAKE A FINAL GEAR CHK. ONE CURIOUS NOTE WHEN I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND WENT TO LOWER THE GEAR; I FOUND THE SWITCH IN AN INTERMEDIATE POS; ITS DESIGN PREVENTS THIS HOWEVER 'MURPHY' TOOK OVER AND IT WAS NEITHER FULL DOWN OR FULL UP. SO THE APPLICANT MOST LIKELY MOVED THE SWITCH TO DOWN AND DID NOT CHK IT. WE BOTH SWEAR WE DID NOT HEAR A HORN. ONE DESIGN FAULT IS THE HORN IS NOT WIRED INTO THE INTERCOM AND WE WERE USING HEADSETS. THE BFM TWR IS A NON FEDERAL TWR. SURE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF THEY HAD BEEN LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND SENT US AROUND. THERE WAS NO TFC IN THE PATTERN AND 1 MIL T34 ON THE RUN-UP PAD NEXT TO RWY 32. THE T34 MIGHT HAVE HELPED US BUT HE MIGHT HAVE HAD HIS HEAD IN THE COCKPIT DURING RUN-UP OR BEEN ON UHF. AS THE OLD SAYING GOES THE BUCK STOPS HERE WITH THE PLT; BUT AS WE KNOW; THERE IS USUALLY A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS LEADING TO THE INCIDENCE. THIS ONE STARTED WITH FATIGUE AND COMPLACENCY ON A HAPPY ROUTINE FLT. ANYWHERE ALONG THE LINE IF ONE OF THE EVENTS HAD BEEN INTERRUPTED WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE SCREW UP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 388487: WE GOT DISTRACTED BY A HEATER MALFUNCTION. THIS LED TO FAILURE TO EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE FAILURE OF THE GEAR WARNING HORN TO ACTIVATE WHEN THE THROTTLES WERE BELOW 15 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE. NEITHER PLT CAUGHT THE CONFIGN ERROR UNTIL THE TAILSKID HIT THE RWY. A GAR WAS INITIATED AND GEAR WAS THEN LOWERED FOR THE FULL STOP. UPON ENG SHUTDOWN; DAMAGE WAS NOTICED ON THE PROP BLADES; TAILSKID; AND STEP. NO FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE UNDERBELLY WAS NOTED. THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF THE PLTS RECHKED CONFIGN ON SHORT FINAL; TWR OBSERVED AND CALLED A GAR; AND/OR IF THE GEAR WARNING SYS HAD FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THE ACFT WAS A PIPER SEMINOLE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE.