What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot went out flying with a passenger. After flying around locally, they had returned to the airfield and conducted 5 touch and go landings. The pilot’s typical procedure is to do two before landing (gumps) checks, one mid-field on the downwind, and another after turning base. He initially starts to configure the airplane for landing on the first check. The pattern was fairly busy and he decided to make the next landing a full stop and end the day. While on the downwind, he became distracted looking for the aircraft ahead of him which was also making a full stop landing. The pilot was trying to ensure that he had proper spacing and timing as to not crowd the lead aircraft or be forced to do a go-around. When that aircraft was identified as landing, he turned base and received the 500' AGL warning from his garmin G3X. He started to do what would normally be his second before landing check and realized he hadn't done the first one in the downwind. He started configuring the airplane for landing, adjusted flaps and speed, and looked at his gear indicator on the G3X screen but failed to realize the indication meaning. The pilot stated that the G3X displays three yellow text lines when the gear is up and stowed. When the gear is lowered the lines go disappear and nothing is displayed. He believes in the heat of the moment and getting caught up with the plane that when he saw the three lines, it registered as the gear down. The pilot accepts full responsibility for the incident and knows it was a human factors failure on his part.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT WENT OUT FLYING WITH A PASSENGER. AFTER FLYING AROUND LOCALLY, THEY HAD RETURNED TO THE AIRFIELD AND CONDUCTED 5 TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. THE PILOT’S TYPICAL PROCEDURE IS TO DO TWO BEFORE LANDING (GUMPS) CHECKS, ONE MID-FIELD ON THE DOWNWIND, AND ANOTHER AFTER TURNING BASE. HE INITIALLY STARTS TO CONFIGURE THE AIRPLANE FOR LANDING ON THE FIRST CHECK. THE PATTERN WAS FAIRLY BUSY AND HE DECIDED TO MAKE THE NEXT LANDING A FULL STOP AND END THE DAY. WHILE ON THE DOWNWIND, HE BECAME DISTRACTED LOOKING FOR THE AIRCRAFT AHEAD OF HIM WHICH WAS ALSO MAKING A FULL STOP LANDING. THE PILOT WAS TRYING TO ENSURE THAT HE HAD PROPER SPACING AND TIMING AS TO NOT CROWD THE LEAD AIRCRAFT OR BE FORCED TO DO A GO-AROUND. WHEN THAT AIRCRAFT WAS IDENTIFIED AS LANDING, HE TURNED BASE AND RECEIVED THE 500' AGL WARNING FROM HIS GARMIN G3X. HE STARTED TO DO WHAT WOULD NORMALLY BE HIS SECOND BEFORE LANDING CHECK AND REALIZED HE HADN'T DONE THE FIRST ONE IN THE DOWNWIND. HE STARTED CONFIGURING THE AIRPLANE FOR LANDING, ADJUSTED FLAPS AND SPEED, AND LOOKED AT HIS GEAR INDICATOR ON THE G3X SCREEN BUT FAILED TO REALIZE THE INDICATION MEANING. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE G3X DISPLAYS THREE YELLOW TEXT LINES WHEN THE GEAR IS UP AND STOWED. WHEN THE GEAR IS LOWERED THE LINES GO DISAPPEAR AND NOTHING IS DISPLAYED. HE BELIEVES IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT AND GETTING CAUGHT UP WITH THE PLANE THAT WHEN HE SAW THE THREE LINES, IT REGISTERED AS THE GEAR DOWN. THE PILOT ACCEPTS FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INCIDENT AND KNOWS IT WAS A HUMAN FACTORS FAILURE ON HIS PART.
Other reports on N37ST · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.