What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Description of the incident;
07/27/2019 Saturday July 27, 2019 the pilot pulled his comanche N7071P out of the hanger at Pendleton (PDT) for a flight to hermiston (hri). The landing at hri was uneventful. Shortly afterwards the pilot the departed hri for PDT.
The pilot was cleared to land PDT on runway 25. The pilot completed the normal memory checklist items; fuel pump on, reduce power, add flaps, over runway power off, resulting in a stabilized approach. After a normal flare the pilot heard the scraping on the metal as the aircraft came to rest on the belly of the fuselage.
The pilot was initially in disbelief that he had landed with the landing gear retracted. He realized that the gear horn had not worked when the power was retarded to the full back position. Realizing he had landed gear up he proceeded to turn off the fuel valve and the master switch.
The pilot called the tower and the NTSB and explained he had landed his comanche N7071P with the gear up on runway 25. He requested permission to move the aircraft off of the runway and into a locked hangar. The NTSB agent gave the pilot permission to remove the aircraft after pictures were taken of the incident.
The aircraft was then towed to the hanger after raising the aircraft and the gear placed in the down position. The gear operated normally and gear light indicated that the gear was down and locked. The aircraft was then towed to the hanger and locked up awaiting repair.
Causal and/or contributing factors;
The pilot was facing many obstacles. One of which was an expiring lease on a 50 year business at the Pendleton Airport. Another life changing event was that his wife had died less than two years ago. The pilot agreed that he should not have been flying that day and admitted to pilot induced error.
Recommendations for systemic corrective action to reduce the risk of a future occurrence:
Because the pilot has no previous accident, incident or enforcement history I recommend compliance action in the form of counseling.
Actions taken to correct the problem and prevent reoccurrence;
08/06/2019 The pilot concurred through counseling that the use of the checklist from the pilots operating handbook for N7071P would have prevented the gear up landing incident. He plans on using the checklist by deciding before entering the aircraft that his total obligation to the checklist will make each flight successful.
He also agreed that on days when he has many distractions that he will not fly. When he decides to fly he agreed that he needs to stay focused, and not allow distraction from life events get in the way of concentrating on the flight.
Ptrs record transmittal id numbers associated with the event.
Incident ptrs NM09201906132.
Compliance action ptrs record id NM09202001050.
Comments;
09/26/2019 The pilot accepted counseling appropriately and positively. Given this experience, I believe that this pilot will not have an issue again given the same set of circumstances. No further issues have been reported and no further action is necessary.
As the FAA filed it
DESCRIPTION OF THE INCIDENT;
07/27/2019 SATURDAY JULY 27, 2019 THE PILOT PULLED HIS COMANCHE N7071P OUT OF THE HANGER AT PENDLETON (PDT) FOR A FLIGHT TO HERMISTON (HRI). THE LANDING AT HRI WAS UNEVENTFUL. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE PILOT THE DEPARTED HRI FOR PDT.
THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO LAND PDT ON RUNWAY 25. THE PILOT COMPLETED THE NORMAL MEMORY CHECKLIST ITEMS; FUEL PUMP ON, REDUCE POWER, ADD FLAPS, OVER RUNWAY POWER OFF, RESULTING IN A STABILIZED APPROACH. AFTER A NORMAL FLARE THE PILOT HEARD THE SCRAPING ON THE METAL AS THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE BELLY OF THE FUSELAGE.
THE PILOT WAS INITIALLY IN DISBELIEF THAT HE HAD LANDED WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. HE REALIZED THAT THE GEAR HORN HAD NOT WORKED WHEN THE POWER WAS RETARDED TO THE FULL BACK POSITION. REALIZING HE HAD LANDED GEAR UP HE PROCEEDED TO TURN OFF THE FUEL VALVE AND THE MASTER SWITCH.
THE PILOT CALLED THE TOWER AND THE NTSB AND EXPLAINED HE HAD LANDED HIS COMANCHE N7071P WITH THE GEAR UP ON RUNWAY 25. HE REQUESTED PERMISSION TO MOVE THE AIRCRAFT OFF OF THE RUNWAY AND INTO A LOCKED HANGAR. THE NTSB AGENT GAVE THE PILOT PERMISSION TO REMOVE THE AIRCRAFT AFTER PICTURES WERE TAKEN OF THE INCIDENT.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE HANGER AFTER RAISING THE AIRCRAFT AND THE GEAR PLACED IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY AND GEAR LIGHT INDICATED THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE HANGER AND LOCKED UP AWAITING REPAIR.
CAUSAL AND/OR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS;
THE PILOT WAS FACING MANY OBSTACLES. ONE OF WHICH WAS AN EXPIRING LEASE ON A 50 YEAR BUSINESS AT THE PENDLETON AIRPORT. ANOTHER LIFE CHANGING EVENT WAS THAT HIS WIFE HAD DIED LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO. THE PILOT AGREED THAT HE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FLYING THAT DAY AND ADMITTED TO PILOT INDUCED ERROR.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SYSTEMIC CORRECTIVE ACTION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF A FUTURE OCCURRENCE:
BECAUSE THE PILOT HAS NO PREVIOUS ACCIDENT, INCIDENT OR ENFORCEMENT HISTORY I RECOMMEND COMPLIANCE ACTION IN THE FORM OF COUNSELING.
ACTIONS TAKEN TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND PREVENT REOCCURRENCE;
08/06/2019 THE PILOT CONCURRED THROUGH COUNSELING THAT THE USE OF THE CHECKLIST FROM THE PILOTS OPERATING HANDBOOK FOR N7071P WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE GEAR UP LANDING INCIDENT. HE PLANS ON USING THE CHECKLIST BY DECIDING BEFORE ENTERING THE AIRCRAFT THAT HIS TOTAL OBLIGATION TO THE CHECKLIST WILL MAKE EACH FLIGHT SUCCESSFUL.
HE ALSO AGREED THAT ON DAYS WHEN HE HAS MANY DISTRACTIONS THAT HE WILL NOT FLY. WHEN HE DECIDES TO FLY HE AGREED THAT HE NEEDS TO STAY FOCUSED, AND NOT ALLOW DISTRACTION FROM LIFE EVENTS GET IN THE WAY OF CONCENTRATING ON THE FLIGHT.
PTRS RECORD TRANSMITTAL ID NUMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EVENT.
INCIDENT PTRS NM09201906132.
COMPLIANCE ACTION PTRS RECORD ID NM09202001050.
COMMENTS;
09/26/2019 THE PILOT ACCEPTED COUNSELING APPROPRIATELY AND POSITIVELY. GIVEN THIS EXPERIENCE, I BELIEVE THAT THIS PILOT WILL NOT HAVE AN ISSUE AGAIN GIVEN THE SAME SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES. NO FURTHER ISSUES HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND NO FURTHER ACTION IS NECESSARY.