C210 pilot strikes propeller on takeoff when nose gear retracts while still on takeoff roll. Gear sw...

Attributes
ACN	747141
Time
Date	200707
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : fch.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Cessna 210 Centurion / Turbo Centurion 210C 210D
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : takeoff roll
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 3 flight time total : 2548 flight time type : 1500
ASRS Report	747141
Events
Anomaly	ground encounters other non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Attempted takeoff with landing gear selector in up position resulting in propeller striking runway as nose gear retracted just before rotation. Airplane became airborne as the propeller bounced the nose up so I continued with the takeoff. I flew around the pattern and terminated the flight with an uneventful landing after extending the landing gear. I was in communication with fresno departure and canceled my flight plan with them. It would not have been possible to stop the aircraft on the ground in the runway length remaining beyond the point of the propeller strike. The actual cause of this incident was failure to adhere strictly to the pretkof checklist. How the landing gear selector switch got to be in the up position while the aircraft was parked in the hangar remains a mystery. A contributing factor was my pretkof preoccupation with programming the GPS unit for IFR flight into complex airspace of the san francisco bay area.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 PLT STRIKES PROP ON TKOF WHEN NOSE GEAR RETRACTS WHILE STILL ON TKOF ROLL. GEAR SWITCH FOUND TO BE MYSTERIOUSLY IN THE 'UP' POSITION.

Narrative: ATTEMPTED TKOF WITH LNDG GEAR SELECTOR IN UP POS RESULTING IN PROP STRIKING RWY AS NOSE GEAR RETRACTED JUST BEFORE ROTATION. AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE AS THE PROP BOUNCED THE NOSE UP SO I CONTINUED WITH THE TKOF. I FLEW AROUND THE PATTERN AND TERMINATED THE FLT WITH AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AFTER EXTENDING THE LNDG GEAR. I WAS IN COM WITH FRESNO DEP AND CANCELED MY FLT PLAN WITH THEM. IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE TO STOP THE ACFT ON THE GND IN THE RWY LENGTH REMAINING BEYOND THE POINT OF THE PROP STRIKE. THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS FAILURE TO ADHERE STRICTLY TO THE PRETKOF CHKLIST. HOW THE LNDG GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH GOT TO BE IN THE UP POS WHILE THE ACFT WAS PARKED IN THE HANGAR REMAINS A MYSTERY. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS MY PRETKOF PREOCCUPATION WITH PROGRAMMING THE GPS UNIT FOR IFR FLT INTO COMPLEX AIRSPACE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.

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.

C210 pilot strikes propeller on takeoff when nose gear retracts while still on takeoff roll. Gear switch found to be mysteriously in the 'up' position.