Damage on a propeller when front gear breaks

[xplanefactor]

Hi! I just wanted to share the picture of how much damage can occur, on the propeller when you land without extending gears, or here in the event of the front gear failing to work properly. It is a very upsetting sigh in deed... So don't forget to extend you gear prior to landing, or event ask ATC to visually check if the gears are extended... Fly safe!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1500x2000/img_4807_with_watermark_3_with_watermark_6_82d03817c6e2050b2 5f3138bb8de9c9140503d10.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1500x2000/img_4806_with_watermark_3_with_watermark_6_022454041a6b43ac4 255b49ca3c99f914eff847d.jpg

[tmmorris]

Not to mention the engine damage that can also occur! Sorry to see it in that state.

[NutLoose]

Yup, sad to see, engine shock load inspection and a prop. Btw you can tell you had no power on as the blades bent back, power on they would bend forward.... sorry to see, hope you get it sorted soon.
As the gear failed to lock down did you not cut the engine prior to touchdown?

[Pilot DAR]

Btw you can tell you had no power on as the blades bent back, power on they would bend forward...

For my experience (which is not none :( ), the direction of blade bend upon surface contact is dependent upon the aircraft speed, and the surface. A metal prop contacting a hard surface runway with forward speed will often bend back, power or not. In earth or water :(, the blades may bend forward with power, as they were able to bite in an pull.

In either case, avoid!

[DownWest]

Got a call from an operational RAF base. Do you have a Mooney reg G-XXXX based with you? Yes. Then do you mind coming and moving it? It is blocking our main runway...
Pilot said he was running it up and doing his checks, when the nose lowered and the prop contacted the runway. The blades were spiraled as the tips has made multiple strikes. They lent me a crew and we wheel-barrowed it back to a hanger. Pulled the engine for a shock test and had the prop rebuilt, refitted, then locked the gear down with some bits I made up and got her back to base.
The link to the nose gear had failed, but I was puzzled as to why. Finally the pilot admitted he had unlocked the lever in mistake for the flap lever. (manual u/c) So while the main wheels were OK, as held by the tarmac, the nose wheel came out of lock and with the weight on, broke the linkage. Expensive slip.

NB: It was a base flying Canberras (which dates this..) and the one next to my space in the hanger had done a wheels up landing, quite interesting, but they were fixing it.

[xplanefactor]

Yup, sad to see, engine shock load inspection and a prop. Btw you can tell you had no power on as the blades bent back, power on they would bend forward.... sorry to see, hope you get it sorted soon.
As the gear failed to lock down did you not cut the engine prior to touchdown?
Wasn't me... It was in a hangar. I was told the front gear had extended but didn't lock...

[blue up]

Large Cessna single, many years ago. After an expensive new engine had been fitted it was off for an engine run. Taxying downwind it must've caught a gust and the tail lifted in unison with a wingtip. All we heard from the hangar was the running engine followed by "ding-ding-di" and then nothing. The first blade strikes were on concrete and the last one slipped between two concrete apron pads and snagged the blade. Decelleration was enough to bring the 3 blades much closer together than the 120 degrees they should have been.

[stevef]

I personally know of two cases of inadvertent gear retraction because of ill-thought-out cockpit ergonomic design. Anyone care to guess which manufacturer once placed poorly-distinguishable flap and landing gear switches next to each other...

[kenparry]

Don't need to guess: deHavilland, Vampire T11 (and I expect others too); gear and flap adjacent, out of sight, side by side, down by the LH side of the seat. Wonderful.

[stevef]

I've spent a bit of time working on vintage military & civil aircraft and it seems that cockpit ergonomics weren't particularly high on the list of design priorities. The aircraft in mind was the Beech Bonanza. It's been a while but I remember the switch views being obscured by the control wheel arm. Apparently even worse on the earlier models was the switch knob design not being standard coded (aerofoil shape for flaps, wheel shape for landing gear). No wonder there were so many gear collapse incidents.

[Pilot DAR]

Just to demonstrate the the regulators do learn and refine the design requirements, a newer GA plane must conform to:

Sec. 23.777

Cockpit controls.

(a) Each cockpit control must be located and (except where its function is obvious) identified to provide convenient operation and to prevent confusion and inadvertent operation.
(b) The controls must be located and arranged so that the pilot, when seated, has full and unrestricted movement of each control without interference from either his clothing or the cockpit structure.
(c) Identical powerplant controls for each engine must be located to prevent confusion as to the engines they control.
(d) Wing flap and auxiliary lift device controls must be located--
(1) Centrally, or to the right of the pedestal or powerplant throttle control centerline; and
(2) Far enough away from the landing gear control to avoid confusion.
(e) The landing gear control must be located to the left of the throttle centerline or pedestal centerline.

[Duchess_Driver]

The Beechcraft Duchess gear knob is perfectly placed by the right knee - with the right length of femur it can be an accident waiting to happen!

[xplanefactor]

Lately, I was in a hangar, the owner of a Globe Swift, probably around 20 000 flight hours ex-airline pilot, thought he had extended his gear and in fact had extended his flaps...Landed on the belly. Had to change the propeller, and changes the engine too (it could have just been checked, but preferred getting a new one...). I thinks it's a 280HP injection! Must have costed a fortune!