Narrative:

I received clearance from charleston approach to descend from 6000 ft to 4000 ft. Upon reaching 4000 ft I checked the local WX and terminated flight plan. I descended to 3500 ft to begin a straight-in approach to a private field. Local WX was reporting VFR conditions with haze. I made my radio calls and I had field in sight at 4 mi. Visibility was reduced due to sun and haze, runway has a 220 degree heading. Upon visual with field, I made radio call to tell any local traffic my position and intent to 360 degree turn for loss of altitude. I began my gumps checklist, fuel was on fullest tank from en route fuel management, airspeed was checked and below 160 mph. I grabbed gear handle to lower gear while looking for traffic and verifying position to field. I checked altitude and assumed gear came down as I settled into a 700 FPM descent. I reduced power and verified nose altitude down, checked airspeed below 160 KTS again, hit 10 degrees of flaps, I pushed mixture and propellers forward, checked seatbelts and asked passenger to check seatbelts. I added 20 degrees flaps, trimmed airplane for 80 mph and lined up on final. I made radio call to local traffic and proceeded inbound. I restarted the gumps while looking at field. I had touched throttle, mixture and propellers. I was slightly high. I reduced power and watched airspeed and field simultaneously. Once field was made, I added full flaps, cut power and proceeded to ground effect. At this point, I realized we were in ground effect longer than usual for 80 mph and I expected touchdown. I quickly looked at gear light and realized gear light was yellow, not green. I added full power, pulled back on yoke and heard a scrape. We began a slow climb, about 200 FPM. I had 80 mph on airspeed indicator. I took out 10 degrees flaps and got to 250-300 FPM. The end of the runway was upon us. I reduced flaps from 20 degrees to 10 degrees flaps, kept 80-82 mph and approximately 300-350 FPM climb to pattern. I did a full go around, reported to local traffic on downwind, locked gear down, verified green light and wheels down outside windows by myself and 2 passenger. I proceeded to land without delay or any other occurrence. After taxiing back, the inspection of the plane showed damaged propeller, torn off antenna, and scuffed marker beacon. I consider myself extremely lucky. Visual inspection of the gear and green light is a must. I thought I had pulled the handle over the locking lever. In actuality I had only lifted it out and reset it into lock. The gear horn on this plane does not work. This piece of equipment would have prevented the incident as well. I also could have used my passenger to check the wheels like I did on the first 2 legs of the flight. I used a printed checklist and simply did not verify gear down and locked. 2 other contributing factors could have been heat or the fatigue due to heat (temperatures were above 90 degrees all day), and the visibility factor from the haze and sun's angle. I also had 5 hours of flying in 3 legs of 2, 1.5 and 1.5, however, the majority of this was done under IFR flight plans with autoplt and GPS navigation guidance for all 3 legs. The temperatures and density altitudes were also elevated. However, I do not know their effect if any. In the end, however, simply verifying the gear was down and locked could have prevented all of this. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: pilot reports that recent maintenance had been done on the aircraft to install GPS. Since that time, there were numerous problems with the gear warning system that could not be resolved so system was rendered inoperative. No placard to that effect was installed. He also reports that the airport was very demanding with obstructions for both the approach and departure ends with a runway that narrows during rollout. Attributes this as a contribution to failure to assure gear down. Pilot is aware of an MEL for the aircraft but has not reviewed it for reference to required placarding or restr to gear down only flight that might have been required for this operation. While religious about checklist use, pilot recognizes that in retrospect he may have been going through the words and motions without really seeing that the tasks were completed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 PLT TOUCH-AND-GO WITH GEAR UP. GEAR WARNING SYS INOP. SECOND LNDG ATTEMPT SUCCESSFUL.

Narrative: I RECEIVED CLRNC FROM CHARLESTON APCH TO DSND FROM 6000 FT TO 4000 FT. UPON REACHING 4000 FT I CHKED THE LCL WX AND TERMINATED FLT PLAN. I DSNDED TO 3500 FT TO BEGIN A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO A PVT FIELD. LCL WX WAS RPTING VFR CONDITIONS WITH HAZE. I MADE MY RADIO CALLS AND I HAD FIELD IN SIGHT AT 4 MI. VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED DUE TO SUN AND HAZE, RWY HAS A 220 DEG HDG. UPON VISUAL WITH FIELD, I MADE RADIO CALL TO TELL ANY LCL TFC MY POS AND INTENT TO 360 DEG TURN FOR LOSS OF ALT. I BEGAN MY GUMPS CHKLIST, FUEL WAS ON FULLEST TANK FROM ENRTE FUEL MGMNT, AIRSPD WAS CHKED AND BELOW 160 MPH. I GRABBED GEAR HANDLE TO LOWER GEAR WHILE LOOKING FOR TFC AND VERIFYING POS TO FIELD. I CHKED ALT AND ASSUMED GEAR CAME DOWN AS I SETTLED INTO A 700 FPM DSCNT. I REDUCED PWR AND VERIFIED NOSE ALT DOWN, CHKED AIRSPD BELOW 160 KTS AGAIN, HIT 10 DEGS OF FLAPS, I PUSHED MIXTURE AND PROPS FORWARD, CHKED SEATBELTS AND ASKED PAX TO CHK SEATBELTS. I ADDED 20 DEGS FLAPS, TRIMMED AIRPLANE FOR 80 MPH AND LINED UP ON FINAL. I MADE RADIO CALL TO LCL TFC AND PROCEEDED INBOUND. I RESTARTED THE GUMPS WHILE LOOKING AT FIELD. I HAD TOUCHED THROTTLE, MIXTURE AND PROPS. I WAS SLIGHTLY HIGH. I REDUCED PWR AND WATCHED AIRSPD AND FIELD SIMULTANEOUSLY. ONCE FIELD WAS MADE, I ADDED FULL FLAPS, CUT PWR AND PROCEEDED TO GND EFFECT. AT THIS POINT, I REALIZED WE WERE IN GND EFFECT LONGER THAN USUAL FOR 80 MPH AND I EXPECTED TOUCHDOWN. I QUICKLY LOOKED AT GEAR LIGHT AND REALIZED GEAR LIGHT WAS YELLOW, NOT GREEN. I ADDED FULL PWR, PULLED BACK ON YOKE AND HEARD A SCRAPE. WE BEGAN A SLOW CLB, ABOUT 200 FPM. I HAD 80 MPH ON AIRSPD INDICATOR. I TOOK OUT 10 DEGS FLAPS AND GOT TO 250-300 FPM. THE END OF THE RWY WAS UPON US. I REDUCED FLAPS FROM 20 DEGS TO 10 DEGS FLAPS, KEPT 80-82 MPH AND APPROX 300-350 FPM CLB TO PATTERN. I DID A FULL GAR, RPTED TO LCL TFC ON DOWNWIND, LOCKED GEAR DOWN, VERIFIED GREEN LIGHT AND WHEELS DOWN OUTSIDE WINDOWS BY MYSELF AND 2 PAX. I PROCEEDED TO LAND WITHOUT DELAY OR ANY OTHER OCCURRENCE. AFTER TAXIING BACK, THE INSPECTION OF THE PLANE SHOWED DAMAGED PROP, TORN OFF ANTENNA, AND SCUFFED MARKER BEACON. I CONSIDER MYSELF EXTREMELY LUCKY. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE GEAR AND GREEN LIGHT IS A MUST. I THOUGHT I HAD PULLED THE HANDLE OVER THE LOCKING LEVER. IN ACTUALITY I HAD ONLY LIFTED IT OUT AND RESET IT INTO LOCK. THE GEAR HORN ON THIS PLANE DOES NOT WORK. THIS PIECE OF EQUIP WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE INCIDENT AS WELL. I ALSO COULD HAVE USED MY PAX TO CHK THE WHEELS LIKE I DID ON THE FIRST 2 LEGS OF THE FLT. I USED A PRINTED CHKLIST AND SIMPLY DID NOT VERIFY GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. 2 OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS COULD HAVE BEEN HEAT OR THE FATIGUE DUE TO HEAT (TEMPS WERE ABOVE 90 DEGS ALL DAY), AND THE VISIBILITY FACTOR FROM THE HAZE AND SUN'S ANGLE. I ALSO HAD 5 HRS OF FLYING IN 3 LEGS OF 2, 1.5 AND 1.5, HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OF THIS WAS DONE UNDER IFR FLT PLANS WITH AUTOPLT AND GPS NAV GUIDANCE FOR ALL 3 LEGS. THE TEMPS AND DENSITY ALTS WERE ALSO ELEVATED. HOWEVER, I DO NOT KNOW THEIR EFFECT IF ANY. IN THE END, HOWEVER, SIMPLY VERIFYING THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED COULD HAVE PREVENTED ALL OF THIS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT RPTS THAT RECENT MAINT HAD BEEN DONE ON THE ACFT TO INSTALL GPS. SINCE THAT TIME, THERE WERE NUMEROUS PROBS WITH THE GEAR WARNING SYS THAT COULD NOT BE RESOLVED SO SYS WAS RENDERED INOP. NO PLACARD TO THAT EFFECT WAS INSTALLED. HE ALSO RPTS THAT THE ARPT WAS VERY DEMANDING WITH OBSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH THE APCH AND DEP ENDS WITH A RWY THAT NARROWS DURING ROLLOUT. ATTRIBUTES THIS AS A CONTRIBUTION TO FAILURE TO ASSURE GEAR DOWN. PLT IS AWARE OF AN MEL FOR THE ACFT BUT HAS NOT REVIEWED IT FOR REF TO REQUIRED PLACARDING OR RESTR TO GEAR DOWN ONLY FLT THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN REQUIRED FOR THIS OP. WHILE RELIGIOUS ABOUT CHKLIST USE, PLT RECOGNIZES THAT IN RETROSPECT HE MAY HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH THE WORDS AND MOTIONS WITHOUT REALLY SEEING THAT THE TASKS WERE COMPLETED.

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.