What's the closest you've come to landing gear up?

[201er]

I wonder how many of you have had a close call and what saved the day? What is the most effective thing at saving you from forgetting? The thought and shame of it? Someone who flies with you with a watchful eye? Or have your checklists/warnings made you realize that you are good at not forgetting in the first place?

[RocketAviator]

Ok I'll bite and yes it is humiliating to say the least, embarrassing, and VERY COSTLY and honestly there is shame too.  Whats more is I have and use checklist, multiple gear warning systems on my Rocket and over 1000 hrs when the incident occurred this past June 1.  So I am one that has! And one that said "it will never happen to me cause I am not that stupid"... (and with that said I remove one foot from my mouth and promptly insert other foot and bite down...hard)  With over 1000 hrs with never as much as a scratch....   Mine occurred while training a simulated engine fire spiral to land with a very seasoned CFI with a boatload of Mooney time sitting beside me.... After some very careful recount of what occurred what I can say is distraction was the primary factor, but also getting into an unusual situation (which is what an emergency is..) And also let me say, distraction caused by concentrating on what to me was a challenging maneuver for the first time, not that I was not paying attention to my flying.

 

I learned a very hard and costly lesson that it is entirely too easy to get behind the aircraft and omit some the the NORMAL activity that is almost a habit to me in normal flight.  While I don't recall the gear down warning I am sure it must have come on and I even had a very seasoned Mooney CFI sitting beside me!  We had just completed a fairly through BFR, and was about to begin working on an IPC when the simulated engine fire activity was called.   Never say never!  Yea that has a whole new meaning to me now.

 

Now what, First I am committed to take my flying to a higher and hopefully more proficient level, specifically committing to obtaining significant amounts of additional training in the unusual circumstances as well as trying to break some of the bad things I have picked up in my normal flight habits.  I picked my Rocket up this week, having now flown it cross country for 9.75 hrs with 9 landings with one at night, I know that there is a lot of work ahead.  Now that I wont ever be able to say "I have never", but I might just maybe be able to cause someone else not to make the same "stupid mistake" that I did!

 

End of my little story.  A saying that I say and have used for many years . "A smart man learns from his mistakes, A wise man learns from someone else mistakes!"  

 

Fly Safe

Rocket On!

[Mooneymite]

I bought a Mooneymite years ago. It's a single place, so there's no flight checkout. When I picked the plane up, I got a short explanation of how the manual gear worked. I got to my first destination okay and spent the night. The next morning I flew a very short flight to a nearby airport for fuel. When I took off, I forgot to RETRACT the gear. Entering downwind at the destination, I knew I had to do "something" with the gear and I raised the gear, thinking I was extenidng it! Low speed, short flight segment, the gear didn't seem to make any difference up or down. I had virtually no experience with the plane.

On short final, I just could't seem to slow down....that was a clue. I looked around and realized the gear was up and that I was about to join "those who had".

Happy ending. Good lesson.

[jetdriven]

I have taught myself never to continue a simulated emergency to a real landing.  I have noticed a large portion of gear up landings were from a simulated emergency situation, so I just get it to where the landing is obviously made, then go around. It also seems that practicing to an airport can cause this more often as well.  Fields are more challenging.

[RocketAviator]

I have taught myself never to continue a simulated emergency to a real landing.  I have noticed a large portion of gear up landings were from a simulated emergency situation, so I just get it to where the landing is obviously made, then go around. It also seems that practicing to an airport can cause this more often as well.  Fields are more challenging.

Now you tell me.... 

Thanks alot!.. my friend!

[Bob_Belville]

Of my 3000 TT only 238 are in fixed gear and almost all of those were more than 40 years ago. Except for the time I spent getting current when I came back to flying I never fly a fixed gear plane. Perhaps that's why I'm a "haven't yet"... landing an airplane begins with slowing to ~100K and lowering the gear.  

[DS1980]

Need a "Don't forget because it would cost too much money" category.

 

If I ever land gear up I will stop flying. That is a major thing to forget, and it would make me wonder what else am I missing.

[201er]

For the "those who have" category, I have a good question for you. Do you feel that now that you have, that you are more likely, less likely, or the same chance of forgetting again? I know it feels like a lesson learned and that you can never forget from that, but given that most gear ups aren't from just forgetting but some kind of strange circumstance, do you feel that under another strange circumstance you are just as likely to run through the same?

[DonMuncy]

Once I had the tower request I do a 360 to let a commercial plane get down. Because of the distraction, I landed without flaps. If I can forget the flaps, I know I can miss the gear. That's why I got Betty.

[Alan Fox]

I did a crash and dash , bent the prop tips back an inch.....Got distracted buy a gust in the flare , went around and fell from the checklist.....The rest is History.... I am now an "Official" member of the Order of bended blades .... I have Smited the earth with my blade , and My friend Chris gave me a plaque that certifies me as a member , when I find it I will post a pic....

[AlanA]

Whenever I carry passengers I tell them that it is their job as "co-pilot" to ask me if the gear is down as we approach the airport.  It doesn't help when I am flying alone, but often having passengers is distraction enough to forget things, so put them to work.  It doesn't replace my checklist but it is one more layer of safety.  Makes them feel important too

 

Interestingly, I have a friend who use to fly a Cessna P210 who had a gear up landing after the tower changed his routine.  His first flight after the very expensive repair he flew the mechanic to pick up another airplane. They decided to race each other home.  In the excitement of everything he landed AGAIN without his landing gear.  Ugh...  two gear up landings in back to back flights.  Moral of this story is even after a gear up landing pilots are still vulnerable to do it again.

[RocketAviator]

For the "those who have" category, I have a good question for you. Do you feel that now that you have, that you are more likely, less likely, or the same chance of forgetting again? I know it feels like a lesson learned and that you can never forget from that, but given that most gear ups aren't from just forgetting but some kind of strange circumstance, do you feel that under another strange circumstance you are just as likely to run through the same?

I want with ever fiber of my being say "less likely by a long shot", but my fear and knowledge now is that in any particular circumstance it could happen again... and I am no longer so arrogant to say "never me"..  

 

Which brings me to my next point I am unable to conceive that anyone with a smite of wisdom & honesty that would say they have never forgot or failed to do something in flight... I realize there are some actions or inaction's that can have a much bigger impact on a particular outcome but mistakes do happen... Own them or run from them, or hide them are our choices.  I hope to own mine and learn from it and hopefully someone else will learn from my mistake too.. That is the only condolence I give myself.  

 

Furthermore I am not about to give up on everything I make a mistake while doing or I would never do anything very long.  And before someone jumps on the bandwagon that is not in any way an excuse for making the same or similar mistake again!

[231Pilot]

Just a few months after I bought my first Mooney, a 1967 C, I was practicing take offs and landings and on the 4th or 5th landing, I put the gear down, heard the warning and couldn't figure out what it was because the gear was down...I could see the Johnson Bar in place.  I touched down, taxied off at the first intersection, still heard the noise, and looked at the Johnson Bar when I stopped to reconfigure before taxiing back to take off again and it just didn't look right. I pushed it and it moved about 1/4 inch and popped fully into place.  The warning horn stopped.

 

I don't know why the gear didn't collapse.  I was just lucky that day.  I am a triple GUMP guy now, midfield on downwind, again on the base leg, and last on short final.  I haven't come close again, but it could happen.

[aaronk25]

Ha I think I take the cake for gear ups. I made a beautiful crosswind landing (as practice as there was a better runway for direction of wind) and as soon as the mains touched I quit flying and saw something shinny in the grass and instead of retracting the flaps, I retracted the gear.

The Johnson bar story was funny because 231pilot got lucky, I did not as I didn't have enough weight on the mains to depress the safety limit switch that would have prevented the gear from retracting. Down the bird came on her belly.

New rules implemented that day!

1.Never touch a thing until clear of the runway or at walking speed.

2.Always pay attention. Never stop flying until the prop stops at the hanger.

[kerry]

I've been flying my tailwheel plane all summer.  I recently took the mooney up.  I was cruising at 120 and I was perplexed why my airspeed was so slow.  Then it dawned on me that I never raised my wheels.  After raising the Johnson bar it felt like a rubber band shooting me up to 150.  I've never had any problems raising or lowering my gear but after flying a plane without a RG has really thrown me off.

[scottfromiowa]

I have taught myself never to continue a simulated emergency to a real landing.  I have noticed a large portion of gear up landings were from a simulated emergency situation, so I just get it to where the landing is obviously made, then go around. It also seems that practicing to an airport can cause this more often as well.  Fields are more challenging.

Brief end to my no post. No fucking shit.....

O.K. back to your peace and kind gentle site...

[Ron McBride]

I was in a manual gear Mooney, with another Pilot flying. I ran a gump check at about 25 feet, the gear was not fully locked down.  This is the closest I have come.

 

Ron

[BigTex]

I have taught myself never to continue a simulated emergency to a real landing.  I have noticed a large portion of gear up landings were from a simulated emergency situation, so I just get it to where the landing is obviously made, then go around. It also seems that practicing to an airport can cause this more often as well.  Fields are more challenging.

 

This may be what Byron is referencing but we had this exact thing happen at the MAPA PPP class in OKC in June.  If can happen with an experienced Mooney instructor in the right seat, it can happen to any of us.

[jetdriven]

I know Lacee personally and have met his instructor. Both are excellent airmen. Their qualifications well exceed the requirements of flying a M20K Rocket. His instructor has more hours teaching in Mooneys than I have piston engine time.  I was just commenting on the engine failure to a landing scenario, it has bitten several pilots I know, perhaps ten or twelve by now.  Its a trap.  Best glide demands gear up until the landing is assured, but normal ops are gear down abeam the landing point. Committing to the go-around out of an emergency scenario, followed by a normal ops landing seems to be a way to forcibly break the error chain that can lead to a gear-up landing.

 

To further remove temptation, I usually simulate engine failure nowhere near an airport. This also forces the go-around.   Your experiences may vary, and to date I have not read about this particular trap anywhere else.

[Z W]

I once landed without the "gear down" light.  Put the gear down, but the light didn't come on.  Cycled the gear a few times.  No different.  Checked the breakers.  Didn't find any popped.  Did the manual gear extension procedure.  Still no light.  The floor indicator said "Gear Down" but normally the light confirms it too.  

 

Flew over the runway and had somebody look and confirm the gear was down.  Finally just landed, trying extra hard to grease it.  I was halfway expecting the gear to collapse as I landed and hear some awful crunching noises.  I popped the door open on short final, ready to evacuate in case of fire, even though that's unlikely in your standard gear up...

 

Landed like normal.

 

Turns out there was a chafed wire in the warning light circuit going to ground which popped a circuit breaker.  I missed it in all the excitement.  But it sure felt like I was close to doing a gear-up at the time.

[midlifeflyer]

I'm a great believer that the single most effective way to prevent a gear up is by having a reliable SOP on when it comes down and once you have one, leave it alone.

Closest I've come was when I tried to change mine for no good reason. Gear warning surprised me and I went back to my regular SOP.

[Shadrach]

I've never come close. I think a J-bar makes it harder to do, but certainly not impossible. I accidentally put the gear down in cruise one time, but that's a different story all together!

[jlunseth]

I am in the "not yet" club.  I am manic about checking the gear.  However, I am working on my commercial and therefore doing emergency procedures, and you better believe I am acutely aware of the danger of distractions in that process.  The closest I have come was doing a practice power off 180, when a guy with a power glider showed up at the airport and at the same time someone in a C was doing quick pattern work without using the radio.  On top of that, the C was doing something weird, not sure what exactly, taxi one way then the other.  Maybe he was unsure of the wind.  At any rate, I was watching those two like a hawk to figure out what they were going to do next, and managed to get down on short final thinking the gear was down.  I did one last check and "holy gear up Batman" I immediately went around.  I don't practice the landings at airports with other people in the pattern at all anymore, I go elsewhere.

[Cbrinkman]

I am a new member to this forum, having just joined today. My Mooney-almost-gear-up-landing happened on my check out flight with the instructor when I went to pick up the plane. I only had about 100 hours of total time and was completely lost while flying the plane.

I was coming over the fence and in the flare when the instructor said "Go around." At least I knew with that command meant and I added full power. He told me later that we did not put the gear down.

I am one of those who could easily see myself getting distracted and landing with a very short rollout. To try and avoid this, I do at least two BC Gump checks, One on downwind or When I intercept the glideslope, And the other on short final. As I come over the fence I look at the light and say "got a green good to land"

Last week I was flying into Roanoke, my base Airport, and while on final I was asked to switch to a different runway because the plane that landed before me thought a piece of equipment fell off. Once I landed I realized I had never gone through my second Gump check.

So, at the end of the day, I have never had a gear at landing only by the grace of God.

[Bob_Belville]

I've raised the flaps on short final. Got my attention. I habitually, literally, go through my landing checklist several times, physically confirming, Johnson Bar firmly locked, prop, mixture and throttle by touch as well as the flap lever, all by touch while looking mostly outside. Apparently I unconsciously decided it was time to lower flaps but since the lever was down I raised it! Who knows why? 

 

If you watch my SunNFun arrival video and pay attention to my right hand you'll see what I mean. I also habitually check that seat is firmed locked. Usually my habits serve me well.  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKBNWcXxpuM