C-210 PLT LANDED GEAR UP WHEN HE FORGOT TO LOWER THE GEAR.

Narrative

EXCEPT FOR GLIDERS; IT HAD BEEN NEARLY 2 DECADES SINCE I HAD FLOWN ANYTHING OTHER THAN HVY JET ACFT FOR THE AIRLINES. I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO GET BACK INTO FLYING SINGLE ENG ACFT FOR PLEASURE PURPOSES ONLY; HAVING ABOUT 2300 HRS IN MANY MAKES AND MODELS OF SINGLE ENG ACFT INCLUDING THE C-210 IN WHICH I HAVE APPROX 844 HRS. THE OPPORTUNITY HAD FINALLY COME WHEN I JOINED A FLYING CLUB. I REALIZED THAT EVEN THOUGH I HAD ACCUMULATED OVER 14000 HRS TOTAL TIME IN ALL TYPES OF WX; ACFT AND OPS; I KNEW THAT I WOULDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE FLYING THE C-210 UNLESS I WENT UP WITH AN INSTRUCTOR AND RE-FAMILIARIZED MYSELF WITH ITS CHKLIST AND ACFT MANUALS. ON DEC/SAT/03; I GOT AN INSTRUCTOR AND WE WENT UP AND DID SOME LNDGS AND WENT OVER A FEW THINGS. AFTER THE FLT; I FELT COMFORTABLE AND EXCITED ABOUT FLYING THE SMALL ACFT AGAIN. DEC/FRI/03 WAS A CLR; CALM DAY WITH EXCELLENT VISIBILITY. I DID A THOROUGH PREFLT OF THE C-210 INCLUDING REMOVING WHAT LITTLE FROST AND ICE THAT WAS ON THE ACFT. MY PLAN WAS TO JUST HOP AROUND CENTRAL OHIO. I BROUGHT ALONG 2 RELATIVES WHO WANTED TO RIDE ALONG WITH ME. I GOT THE CHKLIST OUT AND ACCOMPLISHED THE BEFORE START; START; AFTER START; TAXI AND BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS. PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THESE ITEMS I STILL REMEMBERED EVEN FROM ROTE; HOWEVER; I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. THE DEP FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AND CLB TO 3000 FT MSL WAS UNEVENTFUL. I PUT THE GEAR UP; ADJUSTED THE PWR FOR CLB AND CRUISE; CLOSED THE COWL FLAPS AND LEANED IT OUT. I DECIDED TO FLY TO URBANA; OH; WHICH IS ONLY ABOUT 35 MI AWAY. ENRTE; I PLAYED WITH THE GPS NAV SYS. APCHING URBANA; I LISTENED TO THE AUTOMATED WX AND DECIDED ON RWY 22. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON UNICOM AND OVERFLEW THE ARPT FROM E TO W ABOVE THE TFC PATTERN AND ENTERED AN UPWIND LEG WHILE DSNDING TO THE PATTERN ALT ALL THE WHILE ANNOUNCING XWIND; DOWNWIND; BASE LEG AND FINAL. I EXTENDED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS; PUSHED THE MIXTURE FULL RICH AND THE THROTTLE FULL FORWARD. TURNING BASE; I PUT IN SOME MORE FLAPS AND TURNING FINAL; FULL FLAPS. I CAN REMEMBER THAT DURING MY CHKOUT; I WAS APCHING AND LNDG A LITTLE FAST; SO MY MAIN FOCUS I BELIEVE WAS ON SPD CTL. ON SHORT FINAL; MY SPD WAS RIGHT ON AND I WAS IN THE SLOT. THE FLARE WAS VERY NICE AND I WAS JUST WAITING FOR A SMOOTH LNDG. HOWEVER; I STARTED HEARING METAL SCRAPING AND BEFORE I KNEW IT; WE WERE SLIDING DOWN THE RWY WITH THE GEAR STILL IN THE 'UP' POS. TO SAY THE LEAST; I WAS STUNNED. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY AWARE OF HOW I OPERATE AN ACFT AND CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE VERY SAFE. I HAVE BEEN FLYING FOR 31 YRS WITHOUT ANY PROB. I HAVE HAD THE VERY BEST TRAINING AND HAVE BEEN A FLT INSTRUCTOR MYSELF. AS I NOW LOOK BACK ON IT; I FEEL THERE WERE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS. FOR MANY YRS; I HAVE BEEN IN A SYS THAT RELIES HEAVILY ON CRM; WHICH I BELIEVE IS GREAT. EVEN WITH THAT; I HAVE HAD MY OWN LITTLE BACKUPS INCLUDING ALWAYS CHKING THAT THE FLAPS AND GEAR ARE DOWN AT ABOUT 500 FT AND A FEW OTHER LITTLE ITEMS. HOWEVER; WHEN I WENT TO FLY THE SINGLE ENG; THE MINDSET IS DIFFERENT. ONE; IT'S SINGLE PLT AND THERE IS NO ONE TO BACK YOU UP AND YOU THINK IT IS A 'LITTLE AIRPLANE' AND THAT CHANGES THE MINDSET. I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER IF I EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT PUTTING THE GEAR DOWN. MAYBE I THOUGHT IT WAS ALREADY DOWN. MAYBE I THOUGHT IT WAS A FIXED GEAR. I CAN'T REMEMBER. AS I LOOK BACK; I THINK WHAT I REALLY NEEDED WAS A LOT MORE TOUCH-AND-GOES SO I COULD HAVE NOT ONLY THE GUMP CHKLIST BUT A SET OF ACTIONS. ACTIONS THAT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY REMINDED ME TO DO THINGS IN A SEQUENCE; LIKE FLAPS 10 DEGS; GEAR DOWN. REPETITION IS THE ANSWER. I KNEW WHAT GUMP WAS BUT I THINK I ONLY DID THE 'MP' PART. AS OF NOW; I THINK THAT WHAT I SHOULD DO IS 'GET BACK ON THE HORSE;' BUT THIS IS DEVASTATING TO NOT ONLY ME PERSONALLY BUT PROFESSIONALLY. I HAVE PRIDED MYSELF ON BEING NOT ONLY THE BEST PLT I CAN BE BUT THE SAFEST. I THINK THAT WHEN I GO BACK TO FLYING SINGLE ENG THAT I WILL STAY WITH FIXED GEAR ACFT SO I CAN ENJOY FLYING. IF I EVER DO GO BACK TO COMPLEX SINGLES; I WILL FIRST GET DRILLED IN PROCS. ALSO; I BELIEVE FLT INSTRUCTORS ARE A LITTLE TIMID WHEN IT COMES TO GIVING PLTS LIKE ME THE REAL TRAINING WE NEED AND TO POINT OUT MY FAULTS. THEY SHOULD REALIZE THAT I AM COMING TO THEM AND THAT I NEED THE INSTRUCTION; WHATEVER IT MAY BE.