C310 PLT HAS PROP STRIKE DURING APCH TO LNDG.

Narrative

IT WAS A CLR NIGHT. I WAS FLYING A C310Q; ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN ON DOWNWIND; REDUCED PWR; ANNOUNCED MY POS; AND PUT DOWN 15 DEGS OF FLAPS TO SLOW DOWN TO BELOW MAX GEAR EXTENSION SPD. I THEN TURNED BOTH FUEL PUMPS ON; REACHED FOR THE LNDG GEAR SWITCH AND MOVED IT TO WHAT IT FELT LIKE THE DOWN POS; MIXTURES RICH (PROPS I USUALLY MOVE FULL FORWARD ON FINAL) EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. I THEN PUT DOWN 10 DEGS MORE OF FLAPS; INITIATED DSCNT AND TURNED BASE LEG. THE PLANE HAD THEN SLOWED DOWN. I CONTINUED DSCNT; ANNOUNCED POS AND TURNED FINAL. APCHING ON FINAL; I MOVED THE PROPS FULL FORWARD AND FULL FLAPS DOWN. I ACHIEVED APCH SPD AND CONTINUED DSCNT. AS I APCHED SHORT FINAL; I DECREASED MORE PWR AND GOT READY TO START THE FLARE WHEN I HEARD A BEEP. THINKING IT WAS A STALL WARNING HORN; I RESTORED A LITTLE MORE PWR AND THE BEEP IMMEDIATELY WENT AWAY. THEN I WAS FLARING; BUT THE PLANE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS SETTING DOWN AS USUAL. IMMEDIATELY; I REALIZED SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT; AND DECIDED TO PUSH THE THROTTLES FULL FORWARD AND GO AROUND. I RETRACTED THE FLAPS TO 15 DEGS; GEAR LEVER UP; THEN CLEANED UP THE AIRPLANE AND DID A SUCCESSFUL GAR. WHEN I CLBED TO A SAFE ALT; I MOVED THE GEAR SWITCH BACK DOWN; AND IT FELT LIKE IT WENT DOWN (AND CONFIRMED BY THE 3 GREEN); SO I WAS PUZZLED ON WHY IT DID NOT COME DOWN THE FIRST TIME. ANYWAY; I MADE ANOTHER APCH AND LNDG SUCCESSFULLY. I TAXIED TO THE RAMP AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGS. DURING MY POSTFLT INSPECTION; I REALIZED THAT I HAD A GND STRIKE TO THE PROPS; AS THEY WERE SLIGHTLY BENT AT THE TIPS. OF COURSE; IMMEDIATELY I STARTED REWINDING THE SCENE IN MY HEAD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG. I'M COMPLETELY POSITIVE THAT I REACHED FOR THE GEAR LEVER ON DOWNWIND AND MOVED IT TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE DOWN POS. HOWEVER; I CANNOT RECALL WHETHER I VERIFIED THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED (3 IN THE GREEN). HENCE; I DEDUCED THAT I HAD PUT THE GEAR LEVER IN THE MIDDLE POS AS OPPOSED TO DOWN BECAUSE EVEN THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE (NON RATED PVT PLT) WHO WAS IN THE PLT SEAT WATCHING ME DEMONSTRATE CONCURS THAT I HAD REACHED FOR THE LNDG GEAR SWITCH AND HAD PUT IT DOWN OR WHAT APPEARED TO BE DOWN. AS I ANALYZED WHAT HAPPENED; I CAME UP WITH SEVERAL FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT.: 1) I ENTERED THE PATTERN FASTER THAN NORMAL DUE TO ME NOT SLOWING DOWN EARLY ENOUGH AND ALSO DUE TO A TAILWIND; SO I WAS SLIGHTLY BEHIND THE PLANE. 2)I TRIED TO FLY AND DEMONSTRATE A GOOD PATTERN INSTEAD OF VERIFYING THE GEAR POS. 3) MY RELATIVE INEXPERIENCE WITH THE MAKE/MODEL AIRPLANE IS 55 HRS TOTAL OF WHICH ABOUT 1/2 WAS HANDS ON FLYING; THE REST WAS TEACHING; WITH JUST UNDER 5 HRS AT NIGHT. 4) INADEQUATE CHKOUT IN THE AIRPLANE AND THIS UNUSUAL 3 POS GEAR SELECTOR; UP-NEUTRAL-DOWN; WHICH WAS NOT STRESSED DURING TRAINING; EXCEPT FOR EMER GEAR EXTENSION OPS VERSUS NORMAL OPS. 5) FATIGUE; AS THIS TRIP STARTED AT XA30 AND ENDED AT XO30; WHICH INCLUDED 7.9 HRS OF FLYING. 6) LACK OF PROPER NUTRITION AS I HAD ONLY A SMALL SANDWICH THE WHOLE DAY; AND WAS EAGER TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT 'GET HOMEITIS.'