Narrative:

After takeoff I placed the gear in the up position and went around the pattern. After putting the gear down, I noticed I did not get a gear down indication and the manual gear indicator showed the gear in the middle position. After doing a fly-by for confirmation, I took the plane out to the practice area to try and troubleshoot. I tried to recycle the gear switch 4 or 5 times to no avail. At that point I called in one of the mechanics over the radio to try and help troubleshoot. The owner of the aircraft also helped. I tried the emergency gear crank but felt no tension as I rotated it. At that point, I tried different techniques to get the gear down from pulling positive to negative G's, yawing the aircraft at high speeds, 60 degree bank turns. None of these techniques worked. After deciding to burn off some fuel, I decided that I had to make a gear up landing. I once again tried the emergency gear extension but nothing happened. When I took off I had full tanks of gas, and so I was not worried about running out of fuel. But I did want to burn as much fuel as possible in case of fire at touchdown. The winds at the airport were calm and a decision was made between the owner and I that I would land on runway 31. I felt this was just as safe as landing on runway 4 or runway 22 due to the calm winds. Runway 31 also was not used as often and would not close the airport to air carrier operations. I made 3 low approachs to the runway to practice the emergency shutdown procedures. While I was practicing the approachs, I was waiting for another aircraft to leave the ground so I would not delay the flight when I made my landing. This also allowed me to burn more fuel. After the other aircraft left, I made a normal left pattern for runway 31. As I was back inbound to the airport, I declared an emergency. I made a normal approach, but stayed a little higher in order to complete the shutdown procedure. I completed the emergency gear up shutdown checklist and then concentrated on maintaining airspeed in order to land the aircraft under control. I tried to keep the nose up as long as possible until the aircraft came to rest. I then unlatched the door and my seatbelt and exited the aircraft. There was no post-crash fire. Upon realization that the gear would not completely retract, I felt a lot of disbelief. But then I felt that I would be able to extend the gear manually with the emergency extension. When that didn't work, then I began to worry. I started to question if I had completed the emergency extension procedure correctly. I never had a complete chkout in the aircraft before I began flying it. The aircraft had been in maintenance for over 4 weeks for a 100 hour inspection. I had completed a flight with the owner the day before and was able to shoot an ILS approach. Before this, I had just a little over 5 hours as required by the FARS. My only experience in the airplane was during cross country operations and a few simulated engine failures. The airplane was part of the flight school's training fleet but also the owner's private airplane. I did not feel good about damaging the aircraft on the gear up landing. After reviewing the incident, I wish that I could have feathered the propellers and motored them to the horizontal position. But at the time, my concern was getting the airplane onto the ground under positive control and get it stopped before sliding into runway 4/22. I don't know if having more experience in the aircraft may have changed my approach. One thing I forgot to do was unlatch the door prior to touchdown. I think because it was not in my field of view or in the checklist, I did not do this. After the landing, some people asked me if I had considered a grass landing. I did not consider that an option because of the position of the gear. It was only partially retracted and I felt the gear might catch causing the aircraft to cartwheel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE95 PLT LANDS GEAR UP DUE TO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION AT EWN.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF I PLACED THE GEAR IN THE UP POS AND WENT AROUND THE PATTERN. AFTER PUTTING THE GEAR DOWN, I NOTICED I DID NOT GET A GEAR DOWN INDICATION AND THE MANUAL GEAR INDICATOR SHOWED THE GEAR IN THE MIDDLE POS. AFTER DOING A FLY-BY FOR CONFIRMATION, I TOOK THE PLANE OUT TO THE PRACTICE AREA TO TRY AND TROUBLESHOOT. I TRIED TO RECYCLE THE GEAR SWITCH 4 OR 5 TIMES TO NO AVAIL. AT THAT POINT I CALLED IN ONE OF THE MECHS OVER THE RADIO TO TRY AND HELP TROUBLESHOOT. THE OWNER OF THE ACFT ALSO HELPED. I TRIED THE EMER GEAR CRANK BUT FELT NO TENSION AS I ROTATED IT. AT THAT POINT, I TRIED DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES TO GET THE GEAR DOWN FROM PULLING POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE G'S, YAWING THE ACFT AT HIGH SPDS, 60 DEG BANK TURNS. NONE OF THESE TECHNIQUES WORKED. AFTER DECIDING TO BURN OFF SOME FUEL, I DECIDED THAT I HAD TO MAKE A GEAR UP LNDG. I ONCE AGAIN TRIED THE EMER GEAR EXTENSION BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. WHEN I TOOK OFF I HAD FULL TANKS OF GAS, AND SO I WAS NOT WORRIED ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. BUT I DID WANT TO BURN AS MUCH FUEL AS POSSIBLE IN CASE OF FIRE AT TOUCHDOWN. THE WINDS AT THE ARPT WERE CALM AND A DECISION WAS MADE BTWN THE OWNER AND I THAT I WOULD LAND ON RWY 31. I FELT THIS WAS JUST AS SAFE AS LNDG ON RWY 4 OR RWY 22 DUE TO THE CALM WINDS. RWY 31 ALSO WAS NOT USED AS OFTEN AND WOULD NOT CLOSE THE ARPT TO ACR OPS. I MADE 3 LOW APCHS TO THE RWY TO PRACTICE THE EMER SHUTDOWN PROCS. WHILE I WAS PRACTICING THE APCHS, I WAS WAITING FOR ANOTHER ACFT TO LEAVE THE GND SO I WOULD NOT DELAY THE FLT WHEN I MADE MY LNDG. THIS ALSO ALLOWED ME TO BURN MORE FUEL. AFTER THE OTHER ACFT LEFT, I MADE A NORMAL L PATTERN FOR RWY 31. AS I WAS BACK INBOUND TO THE ARPT, I DECLARED AN EMER. I MADE A NORMAL APCH, BUT STAYED A LITTLE HIGHER IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE SHUTDOWN PROC. I COMPLETED THE EMER GEAR UP SHUTDOWN CHKLIST AND THEN CONCENTRATED ON MAINTAINING AIRSPD IN ORDER TO LAND THE ACFT UNDER CTL. I TRIED TO KEEP THE NOSE UP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE UNTIL THE ACFT CAME TO REST. I THEN UNLATCHED THE DOOR AND MY SEATBELT AND EXITED THE ACFT. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE. UPON REALIZATION THAT THE GEAR WOULD NOT COMPLETELY RETRACT, I FELT A LOT OF DISBELIEF. BUT THEN I FELT THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR MANUALLY WITH THE EMER EXTENSION. WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK, THEN I BEGAN TO WORRY. I STARTED TO QUESTION IF I HAD COMPLETED THE EMER EXTENSION PROC CORRECTLY. I NEVER HAD A COMPLETE CHKOUT IN THE ACFT BEFORE I BEGAN FLYING IT. THE ACFT HAD BEEN IN MAINT FOR OVER 4 WKS FOR A 100 HR INSPECTION. I HAD COMPLETED A FLT WITH THE OWNER THE DAY BEFORE AND WAS ABLE TO SHOOT AN ILS APCH. BEFORE THIS, I HAD JUST A LITTLE OVER 5 HRS AS REQUIRED BY THE FARS. MY ONLY EXPERIENCE IN THE AIRPLANE WAS DURING XCOUNTRY OPS AND A FEW SIMULATED ENG FAILURES. THE AIRPLANE WAS PART OF THE FLT SCHOOL'S TRAINING FLEET BUT ALSO THE OWNER'S PVT AIRPLANE. I DID NOT FEEL GOOD ABOUT DAMAGING THE ACFT ON THE GEAR UP LNDG. AFTER REVIEWING THE INCIDENT, I WISH THAT I COULD HAVE FEATHERED THE PROPS AND MOTORED THEM TO THE HORIZ POS. BUT AT THE TIME, MY CONCERN WAS GETTING THE AIRPLANE ONTO THE GND UNDER POSITIVE CTL AND GET IT STOPPED BEFORE SLIDING INTO RWY 4/22. I DON'T KNOW IF HAVING MORE EXPERIENCE IN THE ACFT MAY HAVE CHANGED MY APCH. ONE THING I FORGOT TO DO WAS UNLATCH THE DOOR PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. I THINK BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IN MY FIELD OF VIEW OR IN THE CHKLIST, I DID NOT DO THIS. AFTER THE LNDG, SOME PEOPLE ASKED ME IF I HAD CONSIDERED A GRASS LNDG. I DID NOT CONSIDER THAT AN OPTION BECAUSE OF THE POS OF THE GEAR. IT WAS ONLY PARTIALLY RETRACTED AND I FELT THE GEAR MIGHT CATCH CAUSING THE ACFT TO CARTWHEEL.

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.