CEN12LA434

The accident pilot reported that he extended the airplane’s landing gear and observed three green lights indicating that the gear was extended before landing. The pilot stated that the airplane touched down, bounced, and then settled on the runway again. The pilot said that during the second touchdown “it felt as thought the gear was not sound,” and he tried unsuccessfully to perform a go-around. The airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. When the accident airplane was removed from the runway after the accident, its landing gear was found in the retracted position, and ground scars on the runway and damage to the airplane’s propellers, landing gear doors, and belly were consistent with the landing gear not being extended before landing. Further, a witness in an airplane flying abeam the accident airplane during its approach to land reported that he did not see its landing gear extended. Postaccident examination revealed no indication of preimpact malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal operation of the landing gear. Although an intermittent landing gear horn anomaly was noted during postaccident examination, it could not be determined if that anomaly existed before the accident.

On June 26, 2012, about 1930 central daylight time, a Beech A36, N136EH, landed with its wheels retracted on runway 36L (6,879 feet by 150 feet, dry grooved asphalt) at the Lakefront Airport (NEW), near New Orleans, Louisiana. The private pilot and his two passengers were uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial lower fuselage damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Hatfield Enterprises LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a VFR flight plan. The flight originated from the Shreveport Downtown Airport, near Shreveport, Louisiana, about 1735, and was destined for NEW. According to the pilot’s report, he lowered the landing gear approximately five miles out while the airplane was on an extended downwind. He observed three green landing lights and felt the wind resistance as the gear engaged in the down position. He selected 10 degrees of flaps during the turn to the base leg. The pilot, in part, stated: Momentarily we touched down over the numbers. As we touched down on the gear the aircraft bounced and then touched down again. As the aircraft touched down this time It felt as though the gear was not sound. I then engaged full power to initiate a go-around. As I initiated full power the aircraft remained in ground effect. The aircraft remained in ground effect and did not gain a positive rate of climb. As I could not climb I advised passenger to unlatch the rear door as I reached over the front passenger to unlatch his door. I turned fuel to the ‘off’ position as I settled the aircraft on the runway I turned off the mags and master during the prop strike. The aircraft proceeded to skid and came to rest approximately 2000' from the end of 36L. According to a flight instructor, who was instructing a student in the pattern at NEW, the accident pilot announced he was in bound to NEW from 5 miles out. The instructor, in part, stated: We conceded 36L to the beech and told him that we would continue in left traffic for 36R so he could have the big runway. As we were abeam the numbers I looked to my right and saw the beech about 100 feet above me and 1/4 mile to the right of me and he seemed pretty oblivious to my presence as he preceded to cut us off by turning a short left base for 36L. I continued to watch the beech on base and never observed the landing gear go down and my student even commented that the beech looked like it was going in fast. Since the beech had made such a short approach to 36L we announced we would once again be landing on 36L #2 behind the beech; as we turned base-to-final we saw lots of smoke on the runway and the aircraft veering to the right towards the grass that separates 36L and taxiway bravo. The beech pilot, obviously distressed, commanded us to perform a go-around and we obliged. Photographs taken by first responders showed media transfer on the runway consistentwith the chrome step. The landing gear were retracted in their wheel wells on the runway and during the airplane's recovery.