Opps!

mshunter

Well-Known Member
I heard this on the radio, and I have a friend who's an inspector at the FSDO where it happened. I also know that they had some gear issues the other week. Bad day.

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The flight school I got my private at bought a seminole a couple of years ago. One day when walking to my chickenhawk, I waved to a couple of guys going out on it.

Coming back from Cedar Key later that day, I called up Crystal River to report passing in their vicinity. Voice came back letting me know the field was closed. Turns out the guys I waved to were doing touch and go's up there. The student went to adjust the flaps on the go and grabbed the gear switch instead. I guess there was enough lift to disengage the squat switch, so the gear came up and they pancaked. Plane looked exactly the same afterwards.
 
Turns out the guys I waved to were doing touch and go's up there. The student went to adjust the flaps on the go and grabbed the gear switch instead..

I don't understand how anybody can do this, since the flap handle is a lever way down on the floor and the gear selector is a switch on the instrument panel.
 
I don't understand how anybody can do this, since the flap handle is a lever way down on the floor and the gear selector is a switch on the instrument panel.
I think in a Seminole, they are both on the floor. Senecas have flaps on the floor, gear on the panel.
 
I think in a Seminole, they are both on the floor. Senecas have flaps on the floor, gear on the panel.

In all of the Seminoles that I flew the gear selector is on the panel to the left of the throttle quad.

Flaps are controlled by a johnson bar on the floor.
 
In all of the Seminoles that I flew the gear selector is on the panel to the left of the throttle quad.

Flaps are controlled by a johnson bar on the floor.

Yep even the newer ones are like this to my knowledge.
 
In all of the Seminoles that I flew the gear selector is on the panel to the left of the throttle quad.

Flaps are controlled by a johnson bar on the floor.

OK. I've never been in one but was discussing flaps vs landing gear with the CP yesterday and thought he said the Seminole was one that could get confused.
 
If all three are up in a seminole on the ground. Typically thats the way the gear handle was at the time of the incident. Pretty fool proof system in the seminole.
 
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=139180%40kcbs.dayport.com

Engine quit on take off. Forgot to put the gear back down. I guess "Out of usable runway, gear up" was missed on this one.

Edit to add: Thats if the news report was right. We all know how well they report the truth.

Looks to me like both engines were working??

I'm sure the press was talking to someone that thought they knew what they were talking about:rolleyes:...... both props on both sides are curled up like they would be if both were under power. If one engine quit wouldn't only one would be curled? Even a windmilling prop would most likely stop on the first blade to hit the ground and only curl one side and it would most likely be curled under the cowling.
 
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