PA46-350 PLT LANDS GEAR UP AT TMB.

Narrative

I DEPARTED TEB AT XA35 HRS FOR TMB; STOPPING AT CHS TO REFUEL. I WAS DELAYED BY HEADWINDS AND SLOW REFUELING; SO I ARRIVED IN THE MIAMI AREA APPROX AN HR LATER THAN PLANNED. I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS CLRED BY MIAMI APCH FROM 2000 FT TO 1500 FT AS I APCHED TMB AND GIVEN A HDG OF 270 DEGS. THE CEILING WAS 1800 FT AND I SAW THE ARPT WHEN IT WAS ABEAM; AND I WAS DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9R. THE TWR ASKED ME TO EXTEND MY DOWNWIND L; THEN SOON CLRED ME TO LAND. I TURNED R BASE AT 1500 FT; AND MY AIRSPD WAS 145 KIAS; SO I HAD A LOT OF SLOWING TO DO. I DROPPED THE GEAR AND PUT IN THE FIRST NOTCH OF FLAPS ON BASE AND WAS STILL TOO HOT; SO I REDUCED PWR TO IDLE UNTIL MY AIRSPD REACHED 125 KIAS AND I COULD PUT IN THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS. BELOW 118 KIAS; ON A 1/2 MI FINAL; I PUT IN FULL FLAPS; THEN TURNED ON THE LNDG LIGHT SWITCH. THE LIGHT DID NOT COME ON; AND I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE HIT THE WRONG SWITCH; BUT I COULD SEE THE RWY CLRLY AND I CONCENTRATED ON THE APCH; INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT THE LNDG LIGHT. I CROSSED THE NUMBERS AT 80 KIAS; MAINTAINING 200 FT LBS OF TORQUE; AS TRAINED; UNTIL I WAS IN GND EFFECT; THEN I PULLED PWR SMOOTHLY AND RAISED THE NOSE. I LANDED FIRMLY (NOT HARD) AND BOUNCED ONCE; AND I HEARD AN UNUSUAL BUZZING NOISE BRIEFLY; THEN ON SECOND TOUCHDOWN; HEARD THE SAME NOISE AGAIN. (I WAS WEARING A BOSE NOISE-CANCELING HEADSET; SO THIS WAS MUTED). IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I MAY HAVE HAD A PROP STRIKE. UPON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN; THE AIRPLANE VEERED SHARPLY TO THE R; AND I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE BLOWN THE R MAIN TIRE ON THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN. I REVERSED THE PROP AND APPLIED FULL L RUDDER AND BRAKE IN AN EFFORT TO STAY ON THE RWY. THIS WAS PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE; AND I HAD GREATLY REDUCED MY SPD WHEN THE R MAIN GEAR WENT OFF THE RWY IN WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE LONG WET GRASS ON SOFT GND. THE AIRPLANE SPUN 180 DEGS TO THE R AND SETTLED FAIRLY GENTLY ON ITS BELLY. I CALLED THE TWR; RPTED THAT I HAD RUN OFF THE RWY AND REQUESTED ASSISTANCE. I LEFT THE MAIN SWITCH ON SO THAT THE STROBE LIGHTS WOULD OPERATE AND HELP THE ASSISTANCE LOCATE ME. THE TWR TOLD ME TO REMAIN IN THE AIRPLANE. A TRUCK ARRIVED; AND I SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING AND EXITED THE AIRPLANE. I WAS UNHURT; AND APART FROM THE BENT PROP; THERE WAS NO OTHER VISIBLE DAMAGE. WITH THE HELP OF AN ARPT EMPLOYEE; I REMOVED MY LUGGAGE TO A TRUCK AND WAS DRIVEN TO THE FBO WHERE A CAR WAS WAITING TO TAKE ME TO MY HOTEL. I ASKED THE TRUCK DRIVER IF I SHOULD TALK TO ANYONE; PERHAPS THE ARPT MGR; AND HE SAID THAT EVERYONE HAD LEFT FOR THE DAY AND THAT I SHOULD CALL THE RAMP THE FOLLOWING MORNING. I WROTE DOWN THE NAME OF MY HOME AND MY FLORIDA AND NEW YORK CITY ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS AND LEFT THE ARPT. AS I WAS LEAVING MY HOTEL ROOM FOR A DINNER ENGAGEMENT; AN FAA INSPECTOR PHONED. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS LATE FOR DINNER; BUT WOULD PHONE HIM SUNDAY MORNING. ON SUNDAY MORNING; I PHONED THE FAA INSPECTOR AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I ASKED HIM WHY HE WAS INTERESTED; SINCE THE ACCIDENT INVOLVED NO SERIOUS STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES. HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS INTERESTED BECAUSE I HAD LEFT THE SCENE. I EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING FURTHER I COULD DO AT THE SCENE. HE INSISTED THAT I WRITE AN ACCOUNT OF THE ACCIDENT. LATER; I SPOKE TO THE PERSON WHO RECOVERED THE AIRPLANE AND REMOVED IT TO A HANGAR. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR FROM HIM THAT NONE OF THE TIRES HAD BLOWN AND THAT THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN THE UP POS. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF MOVING THE GEAR LEVER TO THE UP POS. I AM CERTAIN THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED FOR 3 REASONS: 1) I FOLLOWED THE PROC LEARNED IN TRAINING FOR LOWERING THE GEAR. 2) THE AIRPLANE IS AERODYNAMICALLY VERY SLIPPERY; AND I COULD NOT HAVE SLOWED IT TO THE FINAL APCH SPD FROM 1500 FT WITHOUT THE GEAR BEING DOWN. 3) WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN I BOUNCED; WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IN A GEAR-UP LNDG; AND I WAS ROLLING UNTIL THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RWY. I CANNOT EXPLAIN WHY THE GEAR LEVER WAS FOUND TO BE IN THE UP POS.