Narrative:

On mar/sun/95, my wife and I were flying our 1947 beech bonanza, which ended up with a gear-up landing following an electrical failure. Despite my wife's reluctance to fly that day, we took off at XA00 am after a normal preflight. We had no flight plan, it was going to be a local area flight to have my wife 'experience' the new airplane. I had picked up the airplane the day before from FBO where a pre-buy and annual inspection had been completed. I had 1.0 hours total in this particular aircraft before this incident. About 10 mins after takeoff, I attempted to use the #2 radio. It flickered like a christmas tree and quit, I attempted to use radio 1, it died shortly thereafter. We returned to el monte, our departure airport and waved wings while flying a standard VFR traffic pattern. On downwind I put the gear switch to down and the flaps to down. The gear did not move due to the electrical failure but the flaps did. I thought the gear was down due to the flaps down handling characteristics: the tower kept giving us red lights, finally we got an alternating red and green lights. I attempted to land. In the flare I realized we had no gear and applied power about the time the propeller struck and flaps rubbed. We climbed to traffic pattern altitude and my wife attempted to extend the gear using the manual crank. She was unfamiliar with the crank and perhaps did not have the handle properly engaged. After several attempts, I decided we should land as I was concerned about the propeller. We landed on the flaps, cowl flaps, and tail pipes. The electrical failure is under investigation but appears to have been caused by a faulty voltage regulator. The gear up was crew error in my mind. Though I had flown with a instructor, I was not prepared for this emergency, my wife was not prepared for this situation. I had had the proper inspections done, but the aircraft electrical should not have passed the inspection. I should have taken a brief time to show my wife the gear crank prior to takeoff - she was not prepared for the emergency. The crank is not in a good spot for solo or front seat operation, should be moved. Low time in an aircraft requires more time before flight. Though I had read the poh and the maintenance manual, I had not 'table' flown 'what if' enough to handle the most serious emergency this side of engine failure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: APPARENT ELECTRICAL FAILURE, DIFFICULTY IN CRANKING GEAR DOWN WITH GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative: ON MAR/SUN/95, MY WIFE AND I WERE FLYING OUR 1947 BEECH BONANZA, WHICH ENDED UP WITH A GEAR-UP LNDG FOLLOWING AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. DESPITE MY WIFE'S RELUCTANCE TO FLY THAT DAY, WE TOOK OFF AT XA00 AM AFTER A NORMAL PREFLT. WE HAD NO FLT PLAN, IT WAS GOING TO BE A LCL AREA FLT TO HAVE MY WIFE 'EXPERIENCE' THE NEW AIRPLANE. I HAD PICKED UP THE AIRPLANE THE DAY BEFORE FROM FBO WHERE A PRE-BUY AND ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETED. I HAD 1.0 HRS TOTAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ACFT BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. ABOUT 10 MINS AFTER TKOF, I ATTEMPTED TO USE THE #2 RADIO. IT FLICKERED LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE AND QUIT, I ATTEMPTED TO USE RADIO 1, IT DIED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. WE RETURNED TO EL MONTE, OUR DEP ARPT AND WAVED WINGS WHILE FLYING A STANDARD VFR TFC PATTERN. ON DOWNWIND I PUT THE GEAR SWITCH TO DOWN AND THE FLAPS TO DOWN. THE GEAR DID NOT MOVE DUE TO THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE BUT THE FLAPS DID. I THOUGHT THE GEAR WAS DOWN DUE TO THE FLAPS DOWN HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: THE TWR KEPT GIVING US RED LIGHTS, FINALLY WE GOT AN ALTERNATING RED AND GREEN LIGHTS. I ATTEMPTED TO LAND. IN THE FLARE I REALIZED WE HAD NO GEAR AND APPLIED PWR ABOUT THE TIME THE PROP STRUCK AND FLAPS RUBBED. WE CLBED TO TFC PATTERN ALT AND MY WIFE ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE GEAR USING THE MANUAL CRANK. SHE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE CRANK AND PERHAPS DID NOT HAVE THE HANDLE PROPERLY ENGAGED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, I DECIDED WE SHOULD LAND AS I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROP. WE LANDED ON THE FLAPS, COWL FLAPS, AND TAIL PIPES. THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BUT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A FAULTY VOLTAGE REGULATOR. THE GEAR UP WAS CREW ERROR IN MY MIND. THOUGH I HAD FLOWN WITH A INSTRUCTOR, I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS EMER, MY WIFE WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS SIT. I HAD HAD THE PROPER INSPECTIONS DONE, BUT THE ACFT ELECTRICAL SHOULD NOT HAVE PASSED THE INSPECTION. I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A BRIEF TIME TO SHOW MY WIFE THE GEAR CRANK PRIOR TO TKOF - SHE WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE EMER. THE CRANK IS NOT IN A GOOD SPOT FOR SOLO OR FRONT SEAT OP, SHOULD BE MOVED. LOW TIME IN AN ACFT REQUIRES MORE TIME BEFORE FLT. THOUGH I HAD READ THE POH AND THE MAINT MANUAL, I HAD NOT 'TABLE' FLOWN 'WHAT IF' ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE MOST SERIOUS EMER THIS SIDE OF ENG FAILURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.