Small aircraft lands with gear up.

Attributes
ACN	89208
Time
Date	198806
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : oh3
State Reference	OH
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Retractable Gear
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 25 flight time total : 940 flight time type : 314
ASRS Report	89208
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I was making a normal approach to my home sod strip on a 90 degree F evening with 70 gal of fuel and I as the only person in the aircraft. Our strip is 2000' with clear apches. Everything was fine except that I xed the fence at 80 KTS and there was a lot of float in the plane. Because of my 5 KT excess speed and float, and because of the hot day, I elected to make a go around. I used full power, reduced the flaps, gear up and open cowl flaps. Performance in climb was affected by the heat and somewhat heavy load. Upon reaching pattern altitude, I used 15 degree flaps and began making my downwind descent for another approach. Normally, cruise speeds in an small aircraft require gear down to slow the plane down for an approach to landing. However, I was at climb speed because the hot day when I began my descent. My normal use of gump was somehow overlooked. I did everything but put the gear down!! I remember using gump but I must have looked and never saw! It must have become too automatic. My gear horn never worked, or because of my short field/soft field approach tech, I was carrying too much power. But, I do remember the horn at flare just as I touched down, but I was committed to landing. The rush that something was wrong came too late and the last thing I wanted was an attempted stall on go around with total loss of directional control.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA LANDS WITH GEAR UP.

Narrative: I WAS MAKING A NORMAL APCH TO MY HOME SOD STRIP ON A 90 DEG F EVENING WITH 70 GAL OF FUEL AND I AS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ACFT. OUR STRIP IS 2000' WITH CLR APCHES. EVERYTHING WAS FINE EXCEPT THAT I XED THE FENCE AT 80 KTS AND THERE WAS A LOT OF FLOAT IN THE PLANE. BECAUSE OF MY 5 KT EXCESS SPD AND FLOAT, AND BECAUSE OF THE HOT DAY, I ELECTED TO MAKE A GO AROUND. I USED FULL PWR, REDUCED THE FLAPS, GEAR UP AND OPEN COWL FLAPS. PERFORMANCE IN CLB WAS AFFECTED BY THE HEAT AND SOMEWHAT HEAVY LOAD. UPON REACHING PATTERN ALT, I USED 15 DEG FLAPS AND BEGAN MAKING MY DOWNWIND DSCNT FOR ANOTHER APCH. NORMALLY, CRUISE SPDS IN AN SMA REQUIRE GEAR DOWN TO SLOW THE PLANE DOWN FOR AN APCH TO LNDG. HOWEVER, I WAS AT CLB SPD BECAUSE THE HOT DAY WHEN I BEGAN MY DSCNT. MY NORMAL USE OF GUMP WAS SOMEHOW OVERLOOKED. I DID EVERYTHING BUT PUT THE GEAR DOWN!! I REMEMBER USING GUMP BUT I MUST HAVE LOOKED AND NEVER SAW! IT MUST HAVE BECOME TOO AUTOMATIC. MY GEAR HORN NEVER WORKED, OR BECAUSE OF MY SHORT FIELD/SOFT FIELD APCH TECH, I WAS CARRYING TOO MUCH PWR. BUT, I DO REMEMBER THE HORN AT FLARE JUST AS I TOUCHED DOWN, BUT I WAS COMMITTED TO LNDG. THE RUSH THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG CAME TOO LATE AND THE LAST THING I WANTED WAS AN ATTEMPTED STALL ON GO AROUND WITH TOTAL LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CTL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.