BE35 PLT INADVERTENTLY ACTUATED GEAR UP SWITCH DURING LNDG ROLLOUT AND LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED.
Synopsis
BE35 PLT INADVERTENTLY ACTUATED GEAR UP SWITCH DURING LNDG ROLLOUT AND LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED.
Narrative
AFTER TAXIING AND PERFORMING NORMAL RUN-UP PROCS; ANNOUNCED DEPARTING ZZZ RWY 28; AT XA30 HRS MAY/SAT/07. DEPARTED RWY HDG FOR APPROX 8 NM; TURNED 180 DEGS AND RETURNED TO ZZZ 15 MINS LATER. I WAS IN COM WITH A HELI DOING TRAINING IN THE TFC PATTERN. I ANNOUNCED MY POS AND INTENTIONS OVER THE RADIO TO ZZZ TFC AND ENTERED A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 28; LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR AT 125 MPH FOLLOWED BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF MY POS; THEN A NORMAL L BASE TURN AND LOWERING OF FLAPS AT 105 MPH TO FULL DOWN POS. I ANNOUNCED TURNING FINAL FOR RWY 28 THEN PROCEEDED WITH A 90 DEG TURN TO RWY 28. REDUCED AIRSPD TO 95 MPH IN PREPARATION FOR LNDG. NOTICED WINDS TO BE GUSTY BUT NOT DIFFICULT. DSNDED TO TOUCHDOWN AT APPROX 58-60 MPH. A SMOOTH LNDG AND RUN-OUT. AT APPROX 25 MPH I INADVERTENTLY ACTUATED THE 'GEAR-UP' SWITCH RATHER THAN THE 'FLAPS-UP SWITCH.' AT THIS TIME THE BUZZER SOUNDED (INDICATING THAT THE GEAR-UP SWITCH HAD BEEN ACTIVATED). I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO RETURN THE SWITCH TO THE DOWN POS; BUT THE GEAR HAD ALREADY STARTED TO RETRACT. I ATTEMPTED TO STEER THE AIRPLANE TO THE SIDE OF THE RWY; WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL UNTIL THE R MAIN GEAR DROPPED OFF THE PAVEMENT AND COLLAPSED. THE NOSE GEAR HAD COLLAPSED ABOUT 10-12 FT PRIOR TO COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING THE PROP TO STRIKE THE PAVEMENT. LCL AUTHS; FLT SVC; AND THE FAA WERE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. A RPT BY THE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT WAS TAKEN AT THAT TIME. AT APPROX XF00 HRS; THE FAA CONTACTED ME BY PHONE AND GAVE PERMISSION TO REMOVE THE AIRPLANE FROM THE RWY. USING FLOOR JACKS; THE ACFT WAS LIFTED UP AND THE GEAR WAS MANUALLY LOWERED AND LOCKED INTO POS. THE ACFT WAS THEN LOWERED ONTO THE GEAR AND TOWED BACK TO ITS HANGAR AT ZZZ. THE SAFETY SWITCHES MUST BE CHKED FOR PROPER ADJUSTMENT TO HELP PREVENT ANOTHER OCCURRENCE. AN AWARENESS GUARD COULD BE PLACED OVER THE GEAR-UP SWITCH. THE FLAPS-UP SWITCH SHOULD NOT BE ACTUATED UNTIL THE ACFT COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.