A PA24-180 COMANCHE PLT ALLOWS THE PAX TO RAISE THE GEAR WHILE THE ACFT IS STILL ON THE RWY DURING A TOUCH AND GO. PAX HEARD THE COMMAND FOR 'GEAR UP' AT SFB; FL.

Date: 2000-06 · Aircraft: PA-24 Turbo Comanche · Phase: landing

Anomalies: other-premature-gear-retraction

Synopsis

A PA24-180 COMANCHE PLT ALLOWS THE PAX TO RAISE THE GEAR WHILE THE ACFT IS STILL ON THE RWY DURING A TOUCH AND GO. PAX HEARD THE COMMAND FOR 'GEAR UP' AT SFB; FL.

Narrative

ON JUN/SAT/00; AN INCIDENT OCCURRED INVOLVING A SINGLE ENG PIPER COMANCHE (PA24-180); DURING THE TKOF ROLL; AFTER A SINGLE 'TOUCH AND GO' LNDG. THE PIC WAS MR X. I HAVE A PVT PLT CERTIFICATE AND A LOGBOOK ENDORSEMENT TO FLY THIS ACFT. ON THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT; I WAS A PAX. PRIOR TO THE FLT; ALL CHKLIST ITEMS WERE COMPLETED AND A SUCCESSFUL RUN-UP OF SYS WAS CONDUCTED BY THE PIC. BEFORE TAKING TO THE ACTIVE RWY 9C; SANFORD TWR CLRED OUR ACFT FOR THE REQUESTED 'TOUCH AND GO.' THE TKOF ROLL; TFC PATTERN MANEUVERS; FINAL APCH; AND LNDG OF THE FLT WERE ACCOMPLISHED WITH COMPLETE COMPETENCE BY THE PIC. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER A SUCCESSFUL LNDG; PRIOR TO ROTATION; DURING THE PWR UP AND ACCELERATION FOR THE ENSUING TKOF. IT WAS AT THIS POINT OF THE FLT THAT THE PIC ASKED ME TO HANDLE THE 'GEAR AND FLAPS.' MY FOCUS AT THIS TIME WAS ON REVIEWING THE PRE-TKOF CHKLIST. I HEARD THE REQUEST AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE REQUEST WITH 'I GOT GEAR AND FLAPS.' AS THE PWR WAS BEING APPLIED FOR TKOF MY ATTN WENT BACK TO ENG GAUGES TO INSURE A GREEN INDICATION OF ENG FUNCTIONS. MY ATTN AND FOCUS WAS ON THE INSIDE OF THE COCKPIT WHEN I HEARD A REQUEST FOR 'GEAR UP.' MY HAND AND ATTN WENT TO THE LNDG GEAR SWITCH AND MOVED IT UPWARDS. AS THE GEAR SWITCH HIT THE SAFETY NOTCH; MY EYES WENT OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE COCKPIT. IT WAS AT THIS INSTANT THAT I REALIZED THE ACFT HAD NOT ROTATED YET. I IMMEDIATELY THREW THE SWITCH TO THE DOWN POS. I CAN ONLY SPECULATE THAT; BEFORE THE GEAR SWITCH MOVEMENT REVERSED DOWNWARD; THE MOMENTUM UPWARD TRIGGERED THE GEAR MOTOR TO RETRACT THE GEAR. THE ACFT NOT HAVING SUFFICIENT SPD SETTLED TO THE RWY. AFTER THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP; ALL CHKLIST ITEMS WERE COMPLETED TO SECURE THE ACFT. EVAC OF THE COCKPIT TOOK PLACE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT OR INJURY. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE INCIDENT WERE 2 PLTS INVOLVED IN CRITICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE LNDG/TKOF PHASE OF FLT THAT SHOULD BE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PIC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 476394: THE PAX PLT ACTIVATED THE GEAR PRIOR TO ROTATION CAUSING THE INCIDENT. AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT; THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THE MANUAL GEAR LNDG SWITCH TO BE OPERATED BY EITHER THE PLT OR PAX. PRIOR TO SUBMITTING THIS RPT; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE INCIDENT WAS HUMAN ERROR.

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