REFLECTOR: Gear-up landing

Thu Jan 11 07:52:02 CST 2007

Al,
Glad to hear repeair was pretty straightforward for repair, as it
usually is.  What happened to the prop?

Relating a similar experience, during transition training and checkout,
which I did at Lakeland, FL, I was doing the some pattern work and the
check pilot wanted me to do an engine out landing from abreast mid
field. Heading into the pattern, we'd alerted the tower we were staying
in the pattern and would be doing an engine out so we would be flying a
non-standard approach.

I hadn't put the gear down, so when abreast mid field, I just cut the
power, and started a slow descending turn toward the runway while
judging speed/altitude/runway position.  As instructed, I didn't put the
gear down until I knew I had the runway made.  I turned onto a short
final is good shape and was probably 200' agl when the tower called out
'go around, go around'.  Well, just a few seconds before they called,
I'd actuated the gear but it hadn't moved enough for the tower to see it
and by the time they made their call I was close to getting two greens
and prepared to go around if I didn't.  

After we started climbout and got cleaned up, we called the tower guy
and asked what the problem was because we hadn't see any runway
obstacles or other problems.  He said it was his practice to keep
binoculars on retractables doing T-n-Gs and other pattern work as the
distraction and non-standard flying was high risk for gear ups landings.
He said he'd seen our gear start to come down just as he called the go
around but he wanted to be sure.  Of course, there's quite a bit of
traffic at Lakeland but he said he averages about one save a year---we
thanked him.  

Chuck Jensen 

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Al Gietzen
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 11:54 PM
To: 'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'
Subject: REFLECTOR: Gear-up landing

Any thoughts on the best way to warn of an impending "gear up incident"
.... I have been looking at some of the Voice warning systems as a
redundancy to the horn, but would appreciate your thoughts.   

I for one don't need further explanations beyond what you have already
told us.

I appreciate your comments, Terry.  I don't mind talking about it in any
way that can be helpful. We've had three days with the temps in the
70's; so I took advantage and did the repair of the bottom.  The repair
is completed; except for finish work; and looks fine.  The repair was
not that difficult as there was no damage beyond the bottom skin and
foam.  Rather amazing, really.  The damage started about under the
pilot's seat and extended only to the gear bulkhead, and was more toward
the pilots side.  It took removing remaining skin where it was
dis-bonded, replacing a small amount of the foam core, adding micro
filler and glass plies.  The keel provided the structural strength, and
the gear cylinder and seat hardpoints made good skid pads.  The inner
skin was intact.

The wing tip damage is basically confined to the carbon fiber formed
wingtip that Wingco puts on (no bottom winglet); near the leading edge
at the position light.  The heavy inner plys that provide the support
for the tip-sail are intact - maybe a bit of scuffing closest to the
leading edge. I haven't done that repair yet.

I am amazed at how many pilots have to come to me with their gear-up
stories, and there have been two EZ's that have done gear-up landings at
my airport in the last month, one just four days after mine.  Clearly
this happens too often.  I have had some discussions with the two EZ
pilots about ways to insure that these don't happen.  First; there is no
substitute for good pilot discipline!!  Airspeed and throttle closure
alarms are helpful.  In my case, I never got below the airspeed required
to sound the horn, if it had sounded I may not have heard it with my
headset on, and there are many landings where the throttle may not be
pulled to closed until the flair when it may be too late.

A voice warning system is a good idea.  The radar altimeter is a good
idea, but seems unnecessarily expensive.  There may be a way to get a
less expensive AGL detector, and design the circuits to give the audio
alarm in the headset.  One of the EZ pilots is an electronics
design/software whiz, and he was agreeable to do some work toward
designing a system for an audio reminder, based on GPS output, that
sounds when the plane is within about 1-2 miles of an airport, and AGL
is less than say; 1000ft, and the gear is up.

I appreciate everyone's care and condolences.  In my case it was a
combination of distractions, lack of awareness (complacency?), and lack
of experience.  I had gotten out of the discipline of the 'Before
landing' checklist (audiblizing) because it seemed unnecessary.  With
one lever contol, no flaps, no mixture, no carb heat, etc. there is
really only one thing to do - put the gear down.  I thought I would
never overlook that because the plane is so slippery it is difficult to
get pattern speed without the gear drag. So who needs a checklist,
right?  Entering downwind you get the speed down to 120kts, drop the
gear and get down to about 100kt pattern speed.

I had a good flight, enjoyed the way the plane flies and handles; did a
few simulated approach to landings (putting the gear down each time on
entering downwind); then headed back for some touch and goes.  There was
no "downwind" for setting, because the tower cleared me for a right base
entry.  Hum-m, well that's fine, but I was too high and pretty fast so I
decided to do a 360.  Dumped some altitude and speed, and coming into a
base entry I was at about the right altitude and speed, so I continued
into my approach.  The tower then called that they didn't have me in
sight and requested I call turn to final; which I did; and then focused
entirely on alignment and descent rate.  I recall (hindsite) noting that
the speed was a bit high, but before the VGs and canard incidence
adjustment; 100 kt approaches were the norm.  And the rest is history;
as they say.

The x-military pilots tell me - always first come in over the runway,
then break to downwind and set up, and always say aloud "Gear speed,
Gear down, flaps;  whatever. . "  Seems like a good idea, I don't know
that the ATC folks like it, especially when they have a couple of those
'slow' planes in the pattern.

I will get back to calling my landing checks aloud on downwind or base,
and always call two greens for gear on final.  And, now that my stall
speed is down around 68-70, I will be sure my approach speed is about
85-90; a speed at which the warning horn will sound if the gear are not
down.  I will also check out a way for that alarm to sound in my
headset.

Al

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