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20030803025989I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A36 · St Louis, MO · August 3, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 3, 2003 · 16:45 local
Place
St Louis, MO
Airport
Creve Coeur Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4640M
Reported as
Beech A36
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
19,874 total200 in this make and model17 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The last ATC contact with the airplane was by spirit of saint Louis tower, which cleared the pilot to transition their class d airspace enroute to 1H0. The airplane landed gear up at 1H0 at approximately 2145Z. The pilot stated he did not have any mechanical problems with the airplane and that the cause of the gear up landing was purely pilot error. The pilot stated he did not lean over the yoke to check the gear indicator lights and that was his big mistake. The gear selector switch was between the up and the down position. The gear selector switch is designed with only two positions, up and down. To move from either position it is necessary to pull the handle and then move it to the opposite position. The switch was found in a middle position. Apparently the pilot moved the gear handle, but did not move it fully into the down position. By failing to check the lights, the stage was set for the incident. Then, by the pilot's own admission, he failed to recognize the other clues that should have alereted him to something being amiss (aircraft floated a long way and seemed too close to the ground). Whether the gear warning horn activated or not could not be determined with certainty.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE LAST ATC CONTACT WITH THE AIRPLANE WAS BY SPIRIT OF SAINT LOUIS TOWER, WHICH CLEARED THE PILOT TO TRANSITION THEIR CLASS D AIRSPACE ENROUTE TO 1H0. THE AIRPLANE LANDED GEAR UP AT 1H0 AT APPROXIMATELY 2145Z. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT HAVE ANY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRPLANE AND THAT THE CAUSE OF THE GEAR UP LANDING WAS PURELY PILOT ERROR. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT LEAN OVER THE YOKE TO CHECK THE GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS AND THAT WAS HIS BIG MISTAKE. THE GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH WAS BETWEEN THE UP AND THE DOWN POSITION. THE GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH IS DESIGNED WITH ONLY TWO POSITIONS, UP AND DOWN. TO MOVE FROM EITHER POSITION IT IS NECESSARY TO PULL THE HANDLE AND THEN MOVE IT TO THE OPPOSITE POSITION. THE SWITCH WAS FOUND IN A MIDDLE POSITION. APPARENTLY THE PILOT MOVED THE GEAR HANDLE, BUT DID NOT MOVE IT FULLY INTO THE DOWN POSITION. BY FAILING TO CHECK THE LIGHTS, THE STAGE WAS SET FOR THE INCIDENT. THEN, BY THE PILOT'S OWN ADMISSION, HE FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE OTHER CLUES THAT SHOULD HAVE ALERETED HIM TO SOMETHING BEING AMISS (AIRCRAFT FLOATED A LONG WAY AND SEEMED TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND). WHETHER THE GEAR WARNING HORN ACTIVATED OR NOT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED WITH CERTAINTY.