MOTORIZED GLIDER; A STEMME S10-VT LANDED GEAR UP AT LNK.

Narrative

OCT/XA/00 WAS A BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON TO GIVE A RIDE IN THE GLIDER. SO A FELLOW PLT AND I TOOK THE STEMME S10-VT (A MOTOR GLIDER) UP FOR APPROX 40 MINS IN THE PRACTICE AREA AND THEN RETURNED TO THE TFC PATTERN AT A CLASS C ARPT. WE MADE 1 LNDG WITHOUT PWR; STARTED THE ENG AND DEPARTED FOR A COUPLE OF TOUCH-AND-GOES. I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER RAISING THE GEAR; BEING 'CLRED FOR THE OPTION' TO LAND; DISCUSSING WITH THE FELLOW PLT HOW THE SPOILERS WORKED LIKE A THROTTLE TO PWRED ACFT PLT; AND SOMEWHERE ON SHORT FINAL AN ACFT LOGBOOK SLID DOWN FROM BEHIND US ONTO MY SHOULDER/LAP AREA -- THE PAX GRABBING THAT BOOK THEN WE LANDED -- WITH A VERY SHORT ROLLOUT! CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: GEAR WARNING HORN -- THAT IS SIMILAR IN SOUND TO OTHER TONES IN THE ACFT (LATER FOUND TO BE INOP) LNDG GEAR POS LIGHTS -- NOT LOCATED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE PLT'S VIEW ON THE PANEL OF A SINGLE PLT ACFT. FAILURE TO FOLLOW CHKLIST. SOME OF THESE ACFT DESIGN FACTORS WERE THINGS THAT THE PWRED ACFT MANUFACTURERS HAVE TRIED BEFORE AND CHANGED OVER THE LAST 40 YRS AND NOW THAT GLIDER MANUFACTURERS ARE BEGINNING TO INCORPORATE SUCH THINGS AS RETRACTABLE GEAR INTO THEIR DESIGN WE WILL SEE SOME OF THE HUMAN FACTOR ISSUES. AGAIN; UNLESS THE ACFT CERTIFICATION AUTHS OF THE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD LOOK BEYOND THEIR OWN SPECIALTIES -- GLIDERS PWRED ACFT OR WHATEVER; IT MAY BE TO LEARN FROM THOSE THAT HAVE TRIED IT BEFORE.