Narrative:

The gear up landing occurred because I (the pilot) failed to perform an adequate prelndg check and lower the gear. This landing (which became a simulated engine out) was the final item in a wings program training flight. A number of activities had occurred in the approximately 3 hour flight including airwork, hooded flight including instrument approachs (several with the attitude indicator covered), lndgs including short field and the various activities that would normally be done on a wings program training flight. The flight had gone very well. The final landing that resulted in the gear up started as a normal short field landing. Just prior to turning from the downwind to base leg the CFI pulled the power back to simulate an engine failure. I then maneuvered the aircraft to make the engine off landing on the airport. Both the instructor and I failed to notice that the gear was not extended and I failed to complete a prelndg check which would have caught this problem and led to its correction. Contributing factors: 1) the approach to runway 18 is somewhat in the overlay and marker beacon fan of the ILS runway 29 to atw which is to the north a few mi, and so the marker beacon kept going off as we did the various approachs to 79C. As the beacon would go off, I kept disabling the marker beacon as it came on, but on this approach I was concentrating on making the field and did not turn it off on that approach. Therefore, when the gear down horn went off, I may have confused it with the marker beacon. Consequently, that aide was not effective. This occurred for both the instructor and me. 2) both the instructor and I became fixated on making the field and we also were talking about flaps and I simply did not do a prelndg check and missed the gear. The landing was otherwise without incident though without the gear. This accident could have been prevented had I followed a proper prelndg check. Also, becoming fixated on 1 item in a flight causes one to neglect other equally critical elements, like lowering the landing gear. The instructor also was a contributor in that he became too interested in the maneuver to the airfield and rather should have sat back and critiqued the overall pilot task performance. Also it is possible since the flight had gone so well to that point both I and the instructor had become somewhat complacent. Basically, the ride was over and we were going to go back to our home field, but decided to do this one last short field landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C177RG PLT AND CFI LAND THE ACFT WITH THE GEAR UP AT 79C, WI.

Narrative: THE GEAR UP LNDG OCCURRED BECAUSE I (THE PLT) FAILED TO PERFORM AN ADEQUATE PRELNDG CHK AND LOWER THE GEAR. THIS LNDG (WHICH BECAME A SIMULATED ENG OUT) WAS THE FINAL ITEM IN A WINGS PROGRAM TRAINING FLT. A NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES HAD OCCURRED IN THE APPROX 3 HR FLT INCLUDING AIRWORK, HOODED FLT INCLUDING INST APCHS (SEVERAL WITH THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR COVERED), LNDGS INCLUDING SHORT FIELD AND THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE DONE ON A WINGS PROGRAM TRAINING FLT. THE FLT HAD GONE VERY WELL. THE FINAL LNDG THAT RESULTED IN THE GEAR UP STARTED AS A NORMAL SHORT FIELD LNDG. JUST PRIOR TO TURNING FROM THE DOWNWIND TO BASE LEG THE CFI PULLED THE PWR BACK TO SIMULATE AN ENG FAILURE. I THEN MANEUVERED THE ACFT TO MAKE THE ENG OFF LNDG ON THE ARPT. BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND I FAILED TO NOTICE THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED AND I FAILED TO COMPLETE A PRELNDG CHK WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THIS PROB AND LED TO ITS CORRECTION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) THE APCH TO RWY 18 IS SOMEWHAT IN THE OVERLAY AND MARKER BEACON FAN OF THE ILS RWY 29 TO ATW WHICH IS TO THE N A FEW MI, AND SO THE MARKER BEACON KEPT GOING OFF AS WE DID THE VARIOUS APCHS TO 79C. AS THE BEACON WOULD GO OFF, I KEPT DISABLING THE MARKER BEACON AS IT CAME ON, BUT ON THIS APCH I WAS CONCENTRATING ON MAKING THE FIELD AND DID NOT TURN IT OFF ON THAT APCH. THEREFORE, WHEN THE GEAR DOWN HORN WENT OFF, I MAY HAVE CONFUSED IT WITH THE MARKER BEACON. CONSEQUENTLY, THAT AIDE WAS NOT EFFECTIVE. THIS OCCURRED FOR BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND ME. 2) BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND I BECAME FIXATED ON MAKING THE FIELD AND WE ALSO WERE TALKING ABOUT FLAPS AND I SIMPLY DID NOT DO A PRELNDG CHK AND MISSED THE GEAR. THE LNDG WAS OTHERWISE WITHOUT INCIDENT THOUGH WITHOUT THE GEAR. THIS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD I FOLLOWED A PROPER PRELNDG CHK. ALSO, BECOMING FIXATED ON 1 ITEM IN A FLT CAUSES ONE TO NEGLECT OTHER EQUALLY CRITICAL ELEMENTS, LIKE LOWERING THE LNDG GEAR. THE INSTRUCTOR ALSO WAS A CONTRIBUTOR IN THAT HE BECAME TOO INTERESTED IN THE MANEUVER TO THE AIRFIELD AND RATHER SHOULD HAVE SAT BACK AND CRITIQUED THE OVERALL PLT TASK PERFORMANCE. ALSO IT IS POSSIBLE SINCE THE FLT HAD GONE SO WELL TO THAT POINT BOTH I AND THE INSTRUCTOR HAD BECOME SOMEWHAT COMPLACENT. BASICALLY, THE RIDE WAS OVER AND WE WERE GOING TO GO BACK TO OUR HOME FIELD, BUT DECIDED TO DO THIS ONE LAST SHORT FIELD LNDG.

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.