A navion pilot landed gear up after being distraction by a passenger's question and then his head se...

Attributes
ACN	666761
Time
Date	200507
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mvy.airport
State Reference	MA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Navion Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing : roll
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 40 flight time total : 3500 flight time type : 2700
ASRS Report	666761
Person 2
Function	observation : passenger
Events
Anomaly	ground encounters : gear up landing
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

I was on right downwind for runway 24 at ZZZ1 and after slowing the airplane down; was going through my gear down procedure. Mixture in; propeller in; and I had turned on the hydraulics. My passenger asked me a question at that point; which I answered; followed by the tower identing traffic. My answering and glancing to the left for traffic served as a distraction. Now being on right base for runway 24; my eyes were fixed on the runway. I had failed to put the gear level down. The navion has a gear horn which sounds when the power is reduced and the gear is still up. When this was designed; a speaker for communication was on the canopy over the pilot's head. Head sets were not used. My head set is a good one and when the horn went off; I did not hear it. This experience tells me I need to pursue the system on the market which feed the horn signal into my head set which will serve as a reliable back-up. Not an excuse; just something I will do.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NAVION PLT LANDED GEAR UP AFTER BEING DISTR BY A PAX'S QUESTION AND THEN HIS HEAD SET BLOCKING THE GEAR NOT DOWN WARNING HORN.

Narrative: I WAS ON R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 24 AT ZZZ1 AND AFTER SLOWING THE AIRPLANE DOWN; WAS GOING THROUGH MY GEAR DOWN PROC. MIXTURE IN; PROP IN; AND I HAD TURNED ON THE HYDS. MY PAX ASKED ME A QUESTION AT THAT POINT; WHICH I ANSWERED; FOLLOWED BY THE TWR IDENTING TFC. MY ANSWERING AND GLANCING TO THE L FOR TFC SERVED AS A DISTR. NOW BEING ON R BASE FOR RWY 24; MY EYES WERE FIXED ON THE RWY. I HAD FAILED TO PUT THE GEAR LEVEL DOWN. THE NAVION HAS A GEAR HORN WHICH SOUNDS WHEN THE PWR IS REDUCED AND THE GEAR IS STILL UP. WHEN THIS WAS DESIGNED; A SPEAKER FOR COM WAS ON THE CANOPY OVER THE PLT'S HEAD. HEAD SETS WERE NOT USED. MY HEAD SET IS A GOOD ONE AND WHEN THE HORN WENT OFF; I DID NOT HEAR IT. THIS EXPERIENCE TELLS ME I NEED TO PURSUE THE SYS ON THE MARKET WHICH FEED THE HORN SIGNAL INTO MY HEAD SET WHICH WILL SERVE AS A RELIABLE BACK-UP. NOT AN EXCUSE; JUST SOMETHING I WILL DO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

A navion pilot landed gear up after being distraction by a passenger's question and then his head set blocking the gear not down warning horn.