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all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
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Aero-Tips 02.02.06
The pilot’s first warning came when the propeller began
slicing into the pavement, followed by a ridiculously short landing
slide. He’d forgotten to put the landing gear
down. Why didn’t he hear the horn?
Defeated Warnings
Most retractable-gear airplanes have a landing gear warning
horn. It’s designed to protect pilots from the sort of
scenario described above. But there are traps where the
warning horn will not sound even if the gear’s still
up. How can this happen?
Most gear warning horns are wired to the physical position of
the throttle control. If the throttle is returned toward idle
power and the gear is not down an intermittent horn sounds.
Some airplanes also have a panel-mounted annunciator light that
flashes at the same time. (NOTE: In the aircraft model involved in
the described mishap, the switch is supposed to engage when the
throttle is in a position that provides about 12 inches of manifold
pressure at sea level). The warning system only works if you
reduce throttle to idle long enough before landing to hear and
respond to the horn.
Beware, then, possible landing scenarios where you might not
bring the throttle fully to idle until just before touchdown,
including:
- Landing in strong or gusty winds.
- Using power to “cushion” touchdown (a common
“cheat” to get a squeaker landing).
- Landing “hot” for any reason.
- Landing “long” or aiming for a precise landing spot
(think about aiming for the ‘dot’ at Oshkosh).
- Level-off at Minimum Descent Altitude in a non-precision
approach.
- The circling portion of a circling approach.
The pilot in this instance was checking the operation of rebuilt
flaps newly installed on his airplane, and carried extra power with
full flaps extended before forgetting the landing gear. Some
newer airplanes also sound the horn if full flaps are selected and
the gear’s not down—sadly, this was not one of
them.
Aero-tip of the day: Plan your approach
to permit reducing throttle to idle before the flare. Be
especially careful to verify gear extension on final approach,
especially if you’re doing something out of the
ordinary. Here’s much more information and data
on Landing Gear-Related Mishaps.