Narrative:

Friend was repositioning his airplane from maintenance facility at one airport to his home airport 6 mi away. I observed him doing his preflight using the checklist while talking to a friend a few hangars down who was going to follow us up to the other airport; help us put the airplane away; and then bring the owner back to his vehicle at the original airport. After starting engine; discovered there was no headset for me; so we borrowed one from the chase plane. During pre-takeoff checks; I was watching oil temperature and new avionics and not paying attention. On takeoff roll; it seemed he held it on a little long and when I glanced at the airspeed indicator I said airspeed indicator is not working (it was low) and about then he rotated. I did not think there was room to get the airplane off the ground (I had no controls; it was a bonanza with swing over). I watched attitude and power. He did normal after takeoff checks. On crosswind; airplane felt mushy and like gear didn't come up. No up light observed. I watched for traffic and buzzards on downwind and he called chase plane to check gear. I did not check circuit breakers on his side of panel; but mine were in. I thought that was all of them. Chase plane at departure end reported gear looked down and locked. Gear folded after touchdown. How problem arose: first airspeed; then gear problem. How discovered: mushy performance; no gear light. Contributing factors: air blustery; other aircraft using pattern for corvair engine fly-in. Buzzards at pattern altitude on downwind. Did not hear a gear warning horn at 15 inches manifold pressure or prior to touchdown (possibly because power not back enough). Judgements: I should have asked friend to switch controls over to my side; climbed to altitude and troubleshot problem. Pilot on ground who said gear was down and locked was an experienced pilot with lots of complex time; but I should not have believed him without a gear light. Factors affecting performance: throw over yoke had only push-to-talk switch; so I was not communicating with ground. My headset had to be repositioned in jack to stay listening to conversation (wiggled). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: analyst called reporter to determine aircraft type since that was excluded from the report. Reporter also stated that the propeller and engine were damaged. The airframe sustained minor damage.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A33'S GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER TOUCHDOWN. NO GEAR DOWN LIGHTS ILLUMINATED IN COCKPIT BUT OBSERVER RPTED GEAR APPEARED DOWN AND LOCKED.

Narrative: FRIEND WAS REPOSITIONING HIS AIRPLANE FROM MAINT FACILITY AT ONE ARPT TO HIS HOME ARPT 6 MI AWAY. I OBSERVED HIM DOING HIS PREFLT USING THE CHKLIST WHILE TALKING TO A FRIEND A FEW HANGARS DOWN WHO WAS GOING TO FOLLOW US UP TO THE OTHER ARPT; HELP US PUT THE AIRPLANE AWAY; AND THEN BRING THE OWNER BACK TO HIS VEHICLE AT THE ORIGINAL ARPT. AFTER STARTING ENG; DISCOVERED THERE WAS NO HEADSET FOR ME; SO WE BORROWED ONE FROM THE CHASE PLANE. DURING PRE-TKOF CHKS; I WAS WATCHING OIL TEMP AND NEW AVIONICS AND NOT PAYING ATTN. ON TKOF ROLL; IT SEEMED HE HELD IT ON A LITTLE LONG AND WHEN I GLANCED AT THE AIRSPD INDICATOR I SAID AIRSPD INDICATOR IS NOT WORKING (IT WAS LOW) AND ABOUT THEN HE ROTATED. I DID NOT THINK THERE WAS ROOM TO GET THE AIRPLANE OFF THE GND (I HAD NO CTLS; IT WAS A BONANZA WITH SWING OVER). I WATCHED ATTITUDE AND PWR. HE DID NORMAL AFTER TKOF CHKS. ON XWIND; AIRPLANE FELT MUSHY AND LIKE GEAR DIDN'T COME UP. NO UP LIGHT OBSERVED. I WATCHED FOR TFC AND BUZZARDS ON DOWNWIND AND HE CALLED CHASE PLANE TO CHK GEAR. I DID NOT CHK CIRCUIT BREAKERS ON HIS SIDE OF PANEL; BUT MINE WERE IN. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ALL OF THEM. CHASE PLANE AT DEP END RPTED GEAR LOOKED DOWN AND LOCKED. GEAR FOLDED AFTER TOUCHDOWN. HOW PROB AROSE: FIRST AIRSPD; THEN GEAR PROB. HOW DISCOVERED: MUSHY PERFORMANCE; NO GEAR LIGHT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: AIR BLUSTERY; OTHER ACFT USING PATTERN FOR CORVAIR ENG FLY-IN. BUZZARDS AT PATTERN ALT ON DOWNWIND. DID NOT HEAR A GEAR WARNING HORN AT 15 INCHES MANIFOLD PRESSURE OR PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN (POSSIBLY BECAUSE PWR NOT BACK ENOUGH). JUDGEMENTS: I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FRIEND TO SWITCH CTLS OVER TO MY SIDE; CLBED TO ALT AND TROUBLESHOT PROB. PLT ON GND WHO SAID GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED WAS AN EXPERIENCED PLT WITH LOTS OF COMPLEX TIME; BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE BELIEVED HIM WITHOUT A GEAR LIGHT. FACTORS AFFECTING PERFORMANCE: THROW OVER YOKE HAD ONLY PUSH-TO-TALK SWITCH; SO I WAS NOT COMMUNICATING WITH GND. MY HEADSET HAD TO BE REPOSITIONED IN JACK TO STAY LISTENING TO CONVERSATION (WIGGLED). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANALYST CALLED RPTR TO DETERMINE ACFT TYPE SINCE THAT WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RPT. RPTR ALSO STATED THAT THE PROP AND ENG WERE DAMAGED. THE AIRFRAME SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE.

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.