A PA28 PILOT FAILED TO VERIFY THREE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. HE LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR UP BECAUSE OF COMPLACENCY AND TRAFFIC DISTRACTION.

Date: 2008-05 · Aircraft: PA-28R Cherokee Arrow All Series · Phase: landing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

A PA28 PILOT FAILED TO VERIFY THREE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. HE LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR UP BECAUSE OF COMPLACENCY AND TRAFFIC DISTRACTION.

Narrative

A PROP STRIKE OCCURRED DURING THE LNDG PORTION OF THE SOLO TRAINING FLT DUE TO PROCEDURAL ISSUES. WHILE ON DOWNWIND PRACTICING BOTH SHORT AND SOFT FIELD LNDGS; I STARTED THE PRE-LNDG CHKLISTS. I PULLED PWR BACK TO 15 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND PLACED PROP FULL FORWARD. I THEN PLACED GEAR HANDLE IN THE DOWN POS AND SAID 3 GREEN. I DO NOT ACTUALLY REMEMBER VERIFYING JUST SAYING 3 GREEN. I THEN COMPLETED A NORMAL PATTERN DROPPING IN 1 NOTCH OF FLAPS ON BASE AND FINAL. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT THERE WAS LIGHT CHOP AND GUSTY WINDS. I KNOW I DIDN'T VERIFY THE GEAR IN THE DOWN POS ON THE BASE LEG DUE TO TALKING TO A JET LNDG ON THE XING RWY. WHILE ON FINAL; I AGAIN WENT THROUGH THE FINAL CHKLIST OF PROP FULL FORWARD AND SAYING 3 GREEN; BUT AGAIN I DON'T REMEMBER VERIFYING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. MY APCH FOR THE SHORT FIELD LNDG WAS HIGH AND STEEP. I OBSERVED I WAS DSNDING FROM 800-900 FPM; I ADDED PWR TO COMPENSATE; WHICH WOULD MAKE ME GO LONG OF MY POINT (MIDDLE OF THE NUMBERS 33). WITH GUSTY WINDS AND THE FACT THAT I HAD ALREADY MADE A NUMBER OF SHORT FIELD LNDGS THAT DAY; I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE APCH AS A SOFT FIELD LNDG. AS I PASSED OVER THE NUMBERS I PULLED PWR BACK TO 10 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE TO CUSHION THE LNDG. THE MAINS SETTLED ONTO THE RWY SOFTLY. AS I RELEASED BACK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE TO LET THE NOSEWHEEL SETTLE; I HEARD A THUMP. MY FIRST REACTION WAS THAT I HIT SOMETHING. I PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE BUT THE AIRSPD WAS ALREADY GONE AND THE NOSE SETTLED ON THE RWY AND THE PROP STARTED STRIKING THE GND. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED AN ENG SHUTDOWN. I PULLED THROTTLE AND MIXTURE; TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND MAGNETOS; PULLING THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. AS THE PLANE SLID TO THE R; I APPLIED FULL L RUDDER TO COMPENSATE AND KEEP IT ON THE RWY. AS SOON AS THE PLANE WAS STOPPED I EVACED THE AIRPLANE. AFTER THE MECHS ARRIVED THEY PULLED DOWN ON THE TAIL OF THE ACFT TO LIFT THE NOSE AND LOCKED THE NOSE GEAR DOWN. I THEN CRAWLED INTO THE ACFT AND COLLECTED MY GEAR. WHILE IN THE ACFT I VERIFIED THAT THE GEAR HANDLE WAS DOWN BY LOOK AND TOUCH. I DID NOT MOVE THE HANDLE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS ARE: FAILURE TO MAINTAIN/FOLLOW PROPER PROCS. OVERCONFIDENCE. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: CONTINUED TRAINING. VERIFYING PROCS MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE INFLT; ESPECIALLY IN HIGH DISTR ENVIRONMENTS. ELIMINATE OVERCONFIDENCE (NOW COMPLETED DUE TO ACCIDENT). I HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. I HAVE GOTTEN OVERCONFIDENT AND LAX IN MY PROCS OF LATE. I PLAN ON INCREASING MY PROFICIENCY IN PROCS AS WELL AS MY EXPERIENCE IN THE AIRPLANE THROUGH TRAINING.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.