Mount Isa Wheels up Landing Incident VH-TWV 14-May 2023

[Rotorwork]

From ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-16/robbie-katter-landing-gear-mishap-mount-isa-airport/102352756

 

North Queensland MP Robbie Katter says he has had a big "wake-up call" after he forgot to put the landing gear down on his plane, moments before landing at Mount Isa Airport. 

 

[Rotorwork]

Think they should rewrite this part

 

He said it was too late to abort the landing, and the 1985 Mooney M20 landed on its undercarriage and skidded 50 metres before coming to a standstill.

[Bosi72]

"...The Katter's Australian Party state leader and experienced pilot..."

 

 

"...It took the Traeger MP four years to obtain his pilot's licence and cost him $50,000..."

 

Glad to hear he's ok.

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Bosi72

[old man emu]

There's a bulk strip, new prop and new CSU unit.

 

Another case of get-home-itis that has many lessons for us all. The first one is the need to answer the question, "Am I fit to fly". In this case, I'd say fatigue was the first link in the chain of events leading to the failure to put down the Dunlops.

[facthunter]

"Dangle the Dunlops" was the term.  "Gear down" is better or extend -retract the gear. .Putting things down has another meaning. The old saying you have either forgotten or are going to is BS. Plenty of pilots have never forgotten. It just has to be important to you to do it. THINK AEROPLANE. Over the threshold check 3 Greens. and brakes off./released,    Nev

[onetrack]

I reckon Robbie Katter must be overdue for a pilot proficiency check. Being forgetful as a pilot is a recipe for a short lifespan.

[facthunter]

"Every body forgets things" doesn't cut it in Aeroplanes which don't forgive errors or lack of skills well and you are not on  rails. Nev

[spenaroo]

I'm curious at what point was it too late to go around?
when the aircraft struck the runway - we have all done a go-around after the flare but before touching at some point in training

[Marty_d]

Even in the C172 part of the pre landing checklist was to look out the window and make sure the wheels were there.

[facthunter]

Too late to go around is when the prop has been reshaped. The gear warning horn should sound when the Power is reduced. That's why it's there but you'd need to know  what it means and act quickly.  Nev

[old man emu]

There are two groups of people with a retract endorsement - 

 

Those who have done a wheels up, and those who are going to.

 

And there was his comment - I was trying to work out why the speed was up on approach (paraphrased)

[Blueadventures]

10 minutes ago, old man emu said:

There are two groups of people with a retract endorsement - 

 

Those who have done a wheels up, and those who are going to.

 

And there was his comment - I was trying to work out why the speed was up on approach (paraphrased)

Best to be a greaser not a high flare stall / bang on as should be less to repair.

[facthunter]

He's not very  familiar with his aeroplanes characteristics then is he? The statement about wheels up is BS. I've been with and know of what must be thousands of pilots and the only two I know of who landed wheels up were CASA pilots . One was in a SAV Riviera they were evaluating. I think it was a write off.. Oh and another that should have had its wheel up. A SEAPLANE at Kepple island that landed wheels DOWN in a water arrival Not CASA but a commercial operation.  There are a lot more people run out of fuel., many with fuel still on board.  Nev

[Thruster88]

The gear warning must not have been working or was  incorrectly adjusted. 

[onetrack]

Or Robbie heard the gear warning, and just said, "What's that noise?", while he continued to let down ....

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by onetrack

[turboplanner]

It's a syndrome similar to the fixation which lets a pilot or car driver slam into a very obvious object in their pqth.

Worth studying post-licence.

In this case you'd think one of them would not miss the very obvious background noise.

 

[facthunter]

He reckons he was PRETTY WORN OUT. He has learned I think. It's been proven you don't hear aural warnings when you're run down and concentrating.   intensely. (distracted). Nev

[Old Koreelah]

8 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Even in the C172 part of the pre landing checklist was to look out the window and make sure the wheels were there.

Can’t see mine.

[Marty_d]

29 minutes ago, Old Koreelah said:

Can’t see mine.

I think it was a throwaway line by the instructor as one of the items on the checklist was "undercarriage" - obviously for those aircraft that have retracts, the 172 didn't, so he said "just look out the window and make sure the wheels are still there!"

(Obviously not suitable for most low wing aircraft!)

If I remember right, it was "BUMFHH" - Brakes, Undercarriage, Mixture, Fuel, Hatches and Harnesses.

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, Marty_d said:

"just look out the window and make sure the wheels are still there!"

But what if the starboard main has fallen off?

[Marty_d]

1 minute ago, old man emu said:

But what if the starboard main has fallen off?

Well then it's a damn good thing you checked!  Said item can be delegated to the passenger, for the starboard side. 

If the nosewheel is gone you're in trouble. 

[Old Koreelah]

2 minutes ago, old man emu said:

But what if the starboard main has fallen off?

Balance up by ditching the co-pilot.

[Bosi72]

8 hours ago, Marty_d said:

If I remember right, it was "BUMFHH" - Brakes, Undercarriage, Mixture, Fuel, Hatches and Harnesses.

.. and there is a pause after U to confirm 3 greens.

 

and 2nd check is PUFT on early final, PItch, Undercarriage, Flaps, Trim.

 

That works for me in any aeroplane.

 

[turboplanner]

15 minutes ago, Bosi72 said:

.. and there is a pause after U to confirm 3 greens.

 

and 2nd check is PUFT on early final, PItch, Undercarriage, Flaps, Trim.

 

That works for me in any aeroplane.

 

On a long flight/hard day like this one apparently was, one way of clearing the fatigue is to start the entry to the circuit area by sitting up in the seat and clearing your mind as a physical act to stop you dozing into mistakes.

 

Having alerted yourself, a pause, or some other message jog like touching the gauge/area is a very good idea HOWEVER, don't be surprised if you get slack and one day realised you've checked/called oil pressure, touched the gauge and can't remember what the reading was. This is a further sign of the need for more alertness with regular checks of yourself.

 

Bosi's above sequence makes a very good point.

 

There are plenty of RA pilots who don't memorise a checklist, just flip the switces, or flip from left to right etc. This sets you up for some failures down the track as you get into more complex aircraft.

 

You're taught, or should be taught the two items mentioned above in your conversion to constant speed prop and rectractable undercarriage. If you've learned the basic checks for fixed prop, fixed undercarriage, this fits neatly into the mix, and I found it's better to stay with the newer more complicated one rather than have two checklists and mistakenly revert to the old one. Little things, but they save subconscious mistakes.

 

 

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Often, things are missed when tiredness and fatigue set in. And in high concentration situations, apparently, hearing is the first sense we dispense with. This wheels up landing at a French altiport, where once committed, a go-around is not really viable is a good example of that:

 

 

One of the problems with TB20s is that the gear undercarriage horn is almost, if not identical to the stall warner. I was admitted to my TB20 group as they ejected a pilot from it for conducting a belly-landing. On my check flight for joining the syndicate, the instructor demonstrated the horns. The instructor felt sorry for the previous pilot as apparently, he heard the horn, thought it was the stall warner and gave it a bit of stick. The landing hear warning system will activate when the throttle is back to less than 1/2" or the flaps are extended to fiull flap. He was doing a flapless landing.  It wasn't until  the crunch on the bitumen he realised what was happening. 

 

I have to admit, those green lights down where checked downwind, base, and late final. When I was doing ab initio onf pa28s, C15x and C17x, the instructors all icluded gear checks even through they were fixed gear aircraft. I have always repeated them in downwind and finals checks (and after the TB20, base leg, as well). After a while, it becomes second nature.

 

I don't agree that there are pilots who are going to do wheels up checks.. Those that are may well suffer other serious events well before they get to forget to extend the landing gear.