Gear-up
Landings
Most are preventable
IN THE UNITED STATES, 170 general aviation aircraft made a gear-up (or
gear-down for an amphibian) landing during the past 10 years, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident data I
found. Six of those accidents involved amphibian aircraft, two were
helicopters, and the remainder were single- and twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft. Seven of the aircraft were totally destroyed, and the
remaining 163 were substantially damaged. Four people were killed,
and somewhat surprisingly, only six suffered injuries.
The number of single- to twin-engine aircraft in the NTSB report
was 110 to 60, respectively, without any evident trends of type or brand
of aircraft involved. Included were Beech, Cessna, Eclipse, Hawker,
Lancair, Learjet, Mooney, Navion, Piper, Rockwell International,
SeaRey, Socata, and others.
Nearly all of the accident pilots in command were high-time aviators. Their FAA certificates and ratings included instrument rating ( 70
percent), airline transport pilot ( 17 percent), commercial pilot ( 19 percent), flight instructor ( 17 percent), private pilot ( 52 percent) and one
student pilot.
Regardless of FAA credentials and experience, most of the gear-up
landings were caused by pilot error, as seen in 74 percent of the accident reports in which the NTSB findings read: “CHECKLIST - NOT
FOLLOWED - PILOT IN COMMAND” or “CHECKLIST - NOT USED
- PILOT IN COMMAND.” Many of the pilots had begun their pre-land-
ing checklist but were
distracted, which is also one of
the NTSB’s most frequent find-
ings for not completing or using
their checklist: “DIVERTED
ATTENTION - PILOT IN
COMMAND.”
Pilot distractions came from
a variety of sources, including
fatigue, excessive air traffic
chatter, controller’s request for
an approach change, power
needed throughout approach,
Company A
Company C
Comparison of C-182 and
C-182RG Insurance Costs
Company B
Aircraft
C-182
C-182RG
C-182
C-182RG
C-182
C-182RG
(Aircraft of Equivalent Value)
Total
Premium
$1,160
$1,648
$1,010
$1,400
$829
$1,251
(Courtesy of Falcon Insurance Agency)
Causes of Gear-Up Landings
(Includes Gear-Down Landings for Amphibians)
Pilot & CFI/DPE - 8.2%
Mechanical - 8.8%
Pilot 74%
CFI/DPE - less than 2%
Pilot & Mechanical - 8.2%
Source: NTSB data on U.S. General Aviation Gear-Up Landing
Accidents: 2000-2010
and flare above the minimum speed needed
to trigger the landing gear warning horn.
And many pilots reported they were “so
used to the landing gear warning horn that
it didn’t register.” The “distraction factor”
can strike any pilot.
Gear-up landings are costly. Minimum
damage includes the propeller(s), engine(s),
cowling(s), lower fuselage, and wings, and
someone has to foot the bill, usually the aircraft insurance company. When asked about
insurance costs for comparable fixed-gear
and retractable-gear aircraft, Bob Mackey,
senior vice president of Falcon Insurance
Agency, provided the following comparison of
premiums charged by three different insurance companies. The example is based on an
instrument-rated commercial pilot with 1,500
total hours, 300 of those hours in retractable
gear and 25 hours in make and model—a
Cessna 182 or 182RG. The variance in premiums among the company’s pricing for
fixed-gear and retractable-gear aircraft is
significant.
An Internet search reveals a variety of
aftermarket landing gear warning systems
available. Their sensors can be set for minimum power or flap settings, airspeed, altitude,
or ground proximity. Their warnings can be
visual with bright flashing lights and/or audible with loud horns or voice commands.
Despite warning systems, logical procedure flows, and simple “GUMP” (gas,
undercarriage, mixture, prop) reminders,
the only foolproof method of preventing a
gear-up landing, except in total mechanical
failure, is to avoid distractions and follow
the pre-landing checklist.
Bob O’Quinn, EAA 742434, is a part-time certifi-
cated flight instructor whose primary focus is on
tailwheel training. For links to more articles about flying
on/off grass, visit www.SportAviation.org.
