Those Who Have and Those Who Refuse To

Monday, December 21, 2020 at 03:28 PM ET

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On The Cover: It's rare to see a pilot who inadvertently flies his pride and joy to a gear-up landing, and who wants to talk much about it, especially in public. But that's exactly what John Dalman's article beginning on page 16 does. It's a tale of acceptance, introspection and determination it won't happen again. Image by the author.

Key Takeaways:

A seasoned pilot performed an inadvertent gear-up landing due to a confluence of human factors including fatigue, "get-home-itis," distractions from busy airspace, and a deviation from standard approach procedures.
The subsequent FAA investigation and reexamination affirmed the pilot's flying competence but highlighted that the incident stemmed from lapses in decision-making, procedural adherence, and the influence of fatigue, rather than a lack of skill.
As a direct result, the pilot is implementing significant procedural changes, such as rigorous GUMPS checks and lowering gear before flaps, and planning aircraft upgrades like an enhanced gear warning system, turning the incident into a profound learning opportunity to improve safety.

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Editor’s note: The following is a first-person account of an inadvertent gear-up landing and its aftermath, written by the incident pilot and adapted from a series of posts at BeechTalk.com, an online resource for Beechcraft owners and pilots of all aircraft types.

On August 5, 2020, I landed my much-loved Beechcraft F33A Bonanza gear-up at my home airport. What follows details my interpretations of the causes and lessons learned from this incident, and its aftermath, in the hope my fellow pilots can learn from my mistakes. By way of background, I earned my private certificate in 1986, adding the instrument rating a couple of years later. I now hold a commercial certificate with single- and multi-engine land ratings, plus the instrument rating.