During a ferry flight, while turning from downwind leg to base leg of the airport traffic pattern in Siler City, N.C., the pilot became distracted when the Bellanca 17 31A’s cabin door popped open.
He continued on the approach and prior to touchdown, advanced the propeller rpm, set the mixture to full rich, and put the flaps down.
As he reduced the throttle he heard a horn and thought it was the stall warning horn, but afterwards believed it probably was the gear warning horn, as they sounded somewhat similar.
He did not think anything about it as he normally hears the stall horn at touchdown. He stated that he felt like the approach was a little faster than normal and he reduced the power to help to try to slow down.
At touchdown he realized that he had not selected gear down. The airplane landed on its belly and when it came to a stop, there was smoke in the cockpit.
When the pilot exited the cabin and stepped out on the wing to exit the airplane, he noticed flames on the aft side of the right wing. The airplane was subsequently destroyed by a post-crash fire.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to ensure that the airplane’s landing gear was down and locked prior to touchdown.
NTSB Identification: ERA15CA169
This March 2015 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I had been warned about this by my flight instructor, learning in 1965-66 in six new two-place Piper PA-28-140s with 150 Hp. Fly the airplane to a normal landing and taxi off the active to stop and refasten the door.
It happened just once to me on solo in the airport pattern on initial takeoff climb once a certain speed and altitude was attained. Noisy, cold and all sorts of small stuff swirled around the interior-but FLY THE AIRPLANE is the priority. I stayed in the pattern, announced my intentions and landed and taxied off the active to stop and firmly refasten the door. This at a no-tower airport which simplified things but we made radio calls re our position and intentions. Above all-it is NOT a time for panic-the plane still flies normally with that Cherokee door hinge arrangement which most aircraft have.
GUMP check? Simple but effective. Why is it pilots get all shook up over a door cracking open in flight when they couldn’t force that door open beyond much more than a crack if they tried with all their might given the force of the slipstream against it? But they do and sometimes the distraction is so great it leads to a fatal accident. I had a passenger go completely nuts on me once when a back seat door cracked open in flight due to some rough air turbulence over mountains which warped and twisted the air frame just enough to cause the door to unlatch. She was securely strapped in. I put the airplane on autopilot, unbuckled, turned around facing rearward and on my knees in my seat I managed to reach back and force enough opening of the door I could slam it closed and latched. What a blessed relief it was to finally get the passenger calmed down. A memorable event to be sure for both of us. Clam shell doors are understandably a different story if they should fly up fully open.
Forgot to read off pre-landing checklist…works out way better!??