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Amazing, the Comanche has a manual flap like our older Cessnas, and a little three three position switch you need to pull in order to use. No squat switches that I remember, one switch in each gear for the lite.

Oh, the gear switch is right in front of you slightly right, the Flap handle is right aft of the nose gear well bump.

I hope the guy liked the plane, because he has money to spend now.

Wise words indeed. Down and welded is just fine with me.

The Bonanza has 2 squat switches, one on each main gear. While on the ground and the strut is compressed, the micro or squat switch is in the open position which does not allow electricity to complete it's journey to pull the gear up. When you take off the strut extends (just like the nose gear on our 150/152's) and the switch closes completing the circut.

Every pre-flight requires a look at both switches to determine they're in the correct and open position.

Nothing is fool proof. Even knowing that the two switches are open and there should be no way for the gear to in-advertently operate, before the master switch is ever turned on, you verify that the landing gear handle is in the down position - just follow the check list.

This guy needs to buy the airplane, the value just dropped because it now has damage history.

I wonder what the insurance company will do if the pilot doesn't have the high performance endorsement? He really needs to buy the plane if the insurance company denies the coverage.


Jim

I forsee potentially ugly legal battle here.... I hope the potential buyer is a person of upstanding morals The sad part is, if it were to come to that, the seller could very likely end up having to eat it.

That's correct.

My father's business partner owned a Twin Bonanza in the Seventies. The switches were located close to one another along a 'bar'. George had the plane serviced which included an overhaul of the landing gear hydraulics. The plane set higher, but the mechanics failed to reposition the gear safety switch. Shortly after getting the plane back, upon landing, George hit the gear-up instead of the flaps-up. The Bonanza settled onto the runway, damaging props, engines and landing gear; big-time damage.

The good news: The repair facility owned up, (after an NTSB report) and rebuilt the aircraft on their dollar.

Sounds like this guy won't have that kind of luck, though.

mhm, is that so?

As a CFI teaching people in Piper Arrows, I've got one comment: All hail the Cessna 150! "Gear down & welded." Heehee. --Katie

I was talking to my FBO this weekend. He was telling me that the examinier I had for my check ride was in trouble. It seems that a commercial pilot student went with him for his check ride. Well, they executed a classic, "I forgot to put the wheels down" landing. Apparently, the examiner has lost his credentials for giving check rides.

Since it was the student who was flying, I can only conclude that the FAA was saying that this was something that the examiner should have caught.

Isn't that SOP in a situation like this, until the examiner is cleared of responsibility? There could be extenuating circumstances, like the guy who raised the gear instead of the flaps on landing.

As a follow up to my previous post:

I just recieved my insurance qoute on my Bonanza for 2007-2008 and here are the stated pilot requirements for my Bonanza printed on the first page:

"Pilots: Jim Hillabrand; otherwise any private or more advanced pilot with an instrument rating who has a minimum of 750 total logged hours of which 150 hours have been in aircraft with retractable landing gear including not less than 25 hours in make and model."

That means if I was flying the Piper in question and pulled the dastardly deed, the insurance claim would be denied because I don't have the required 25 hours in make and model.

Gary, Nathan and Mark, would be shot out of the saddle as well if they don't have the 25 hours M&M time.

Another twist: If the owner is a CFI or was PIC and claims so on the accident report and insurance claim then I would assume he might get the coverage but then in a court room when the owner is trying to recover the short fall (what the insurance doesn't cover and loss of value due to the damage history) the buyer can say "Hey, I wasn't flying the thing. He was PIC and the FAA and his insurance company will verify that".

These are the situations in life that can turn into nightmares.

Keep us posted Hung.


Jim