Narrative:

Today I allowed debonair (BE35-C33) to be landed at watsonville airport with the wheels retracted. In other words, a gear up landing. We departed hollister airport and flew to watsonville at 2500 ft. Upon arrival to the east and in the vicinity of wvi, we heard numerous airplane radio calls about landing on runway 2. This is unusual but then this was an unusual day in that it was windy although dying down from the previous day. The sky was clear. The wind favored runway 26, but is shorter than runway 2 and although both approachs are different from the normal, the runway 2 approach and runway width seemed to be the better one. I told my student to descend because we were high by putting down the wheels. I directed him to fly over the airport about midfield and to enter downwind at 1200 ft. There were no more aircraft in the traffic pattern as we crossed over the airport. 2 airplanes were way in front of us as I recall. My student put down the gear as directed by me and we slowed tremendously and in response he put the nose down to maintain 90-100 KTS airspeed. He turned downwind and maintained 90 KTS at 1200 ft. I told him to turn base and to slow to 80 KTS on final. When about to turn base I noticed the flaps were at full extension. I think I said, how did they get that way? Then I thought, what difference does that make, everything is right -- airspeed, position, gear. I was quite concerned about the crosswind from the left and told my student to lower the left wing and push in some right rudder to keep the airplane straight. He did those things on short final. The landing appeared to be quite normal and very good, left wing down, right rudder. Shortly during the rollout the airplane began to turn slightly to the left and off the centerline. I thought the brakes were on and said release the brakes. The tires were chattering or so I thought. Next I saw 1 blade curled back and I thought the nosewheel was flat, but that thought passed because of course it was impossible. Of course then it became apparent that the gear was not down. Everything seemed normal but the curled propeller, wing close to the ground, zowie -- it became so apparent. Seems hard to believe that I could have thoughts like that but that's my best memory of the event. There was no sudden stoppage such that we could be forced against the seat belts or our heads hitting the instrument panel. No one was hurt in any way other than feelings. First, I felt very stupid, and then I could only think of the pain that mr X, the owner, will be in when he finds out his plane is damaged again. Now if the flaps were put down when I said to put the gear down that would explain some of it to me. I could be less concerned about the gear because it is already down and I could concentrate on the landing. I should have realized my error when I looked out on the base turn and found the flaps fully extended. When did that happen? I asked. It did not matter as the landing was progressing nicely and they would need to be down shortly anyhow. I did not hear a gear warning buzzer during the flare. I did not notice that the airplane was too low during the flare as some people have asked, nope, it looked and felt normal until the last few seconds.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE35-C33 DEBONAIR LANDED GEAR UP AFTER THE STUDENT EXTENDS THE FLAPS INSTEAD OF THE GEAR TO SLOW DURING THE INITIAL DSCNT INTO THE PATTERN. THE INSTRUCTOR DID NOT REALIZE THAT THEY WERE GEAR UP UNTIL HE SAW THAT A PROP BLADE WAS CURLED BACK. NO INJURIES. INSTRUCTOR APPARENTLY IGNORED GEAR INDICATION LIGHT.

Narrative: TODAY I ALLOWED DEBONAIR (BE35-C33) TO BE LANDED AT WATSONVILLE ARPT WITH THE WHEELS RETRACTED. IN OTHER WORDS, A GEAR UP LNDG. WE DEPARTED HOLLISTER ARPT AND FLEW TO WATSONVILLE AT 2500 FT. UPON ARR TO THE E AND IN THE VICINITY OF WVI, WE HEARD NUMEROUS AIRPLANE RADIO CALLS ABOUT LNDG ON RWY 2. THIS IS UNUSUAL BUT THEN THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL DAY IN THAT IT WAS WINDY ALTHOUGH DYING DOWN FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE SKY WAS CLR. THE WIND FAVORED RWY 26, BUT IS SHORTER THAN RWY 2 AND ALTHOUGH BOTH APCHS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE NORMAL, THE RWY 2 APCH AND RWY WIDTH SEEMED TO BE THE BETTER ONE. I TOLD MY STUDENT TO DSND BECAUSE WE WERE HIGH BY PUTTING DOWN THE WHEELS. I DIRECTED HIM TO FLY OVER THE ARPT ABOUT MIDFIELD AND TO ENTER DOWNWIND AT 1200 FT. THERE WERE NO MORE ACFT IN THE TFC PATTERN AS WE CROSSED OVER THE ARPT. 2 AIRPLANES WERE WAY IN FRONT OF US AS I RECALL. MY STUDENT PUT DOWN THE GEAR AS DIRECTED BY ME AND WE SLOWED TREMENDOUSLY AND IN RESPONSE HE PUT THE NOSE DOWN TO MAINTAIN 90-100 KTS AIRSPD. HE TURNED DOWNWIND AND MAINTAINED 90 KTS AT 1200 FT. I TOLD HIM TO TURN BASE AND TO SLOW TO 80 KTS ON FINAL. WHEN ABOUT TO TURN BASE I NOTICED THE FLAPS WERE AT FULL EXTENSION. I THINK I SAID, HOW DID THEY GET THAT WAY? THEN I THOUGHT, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT MAKE, EVERYTHING IS RIGHT -- AIRSPD, POS, GEAR. I WAS QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT THE XWIND FROM THE L AND TOLD MY STUDENT TO LOWER THE L WING AND PUSH IN SOME R RUDDER TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE STRAIGHT. HE DID THOSE THINGS ON SHORT FINAL. THE LNDG APPEARED TO BE QUITE NORMAL AND VERY GOOD, L WING DOWN, R RUDDER. SHORTLY DURING THE ROLLOUT THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO TURN SLIGHTLY TO THE L AND OFF THE CTRLINE. I THOUGHT THE BRAKES WERE ON AND SAID RELEASE THE BRAKES. THE TIRES WERE CHATTERING OR SO I THOUGHT. NEXT I SAW 1 BLADE CURLED BACK AND I THOUGHT THE NOSEWHEEL WAS FLAT, BUT THAT THOUGHT PASSED BECAUSE OF COURSE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. OF COURSE THEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN. EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL BUT THE CURLED PROP, WING CLOSE TO THE GND, ZOWIE -- IT BECAME SO APPARENT. SEEMS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT I COULD HAVE THOUGHTS LIKE THAT BUT THAT'S MY BEST MEMORY OF THE EVENT. THERE WAS NO SUDDEN STOPPAGE SUCH THAT WE COULD BE FORCED AGAINST THE SEAT BELTS OR OUR HEADS HITTING THE INST PANEL. NO ONE WAS HURT IN ANY WAY OTHER THAN FEELINGS. FIRST, I FELT VERY STUPID, AND THEN I COULD ONLY THINK OF THE PAIN THAT MR X, THE OWNER, WILL BE IN WHEN HE FINDS OUT HIS PLANE IS DAMAGED AGAIN. NOW IF THE FLAPS WERE PUT DOWN WHEN I SAID TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN THAT WOULD EXPLAIN SOME OF IT TO ME. I COULD BE LESS CONCERNED ABOUT THE GEAR BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY DOWN AND I COULD CONCENTRATE ON THE LNDG. I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED MY ERROR WHEN I LOOKED OUT ON THE BASE TURN AND FOUND THE FLAPS FULLY EXTENDED. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? I ASKED. IT DID NOT MATTER AS THE LNDG WAS PROGRESSING NICELY AND THEY WOULD NEED TO BE DOWN SHORTLY ANYHOW. I DID NOT HEAR A GEAR WARNING BUZZER DURING THE FLARE. I DID NOT NOTICE THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS TOO LOW DURING THE FLARE AS SOME PEOPLE HAVE ASKED, NOPE, IT LOOKED AND FELT NORMAL UNTIL THE LAST FEW SECONDS.

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.