Cardinal 177/177RG
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240; Flight Crew Total 762
Situational Awareness; Distraction; Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Gear Up Landing
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Aircraft; Human Factors
The conditions at the airfield where clear but gusty winds. After the first touch and go the pilots side headset stopped working. He could barely hear and was pressing on his headset to try and listen. The co-pilots side communication was intermediate the decision was made to request a short approach. Then after the landing make it a full stop. The tower cleared them for the short approach. Both pilots were trying to get their communication between each other to work. We became task saturated with the aircraft communications problems; clearing for traffic; and compensating for gusty winds. Which led to not completing the landing checklist. Then the aircraft landed; the prop struck the ground; and no injuries to anyone involved or airport property damage. We performed the emergency shutdown and waited for personal to arrive. The preventive measure that should have been taken was confirming the checklist and final call out that the gear was down and locked by both pilots.
When we returned to [home airport] we were going to conduct touch and goes. As we lined up for a long final we dropped the landing gear and completed the landing checklist. My copilot conducted the first touch and go without any problem; he was on speed and on center line. Then on the climb to the crosswind my intercom system/headset went out (pilots side); I could not hear anything but silence. The copilot said his was working intermittent. I yelled at him to ask the tower for a full stop landing. I tried to mess with my cords/connections; but my copilot said when I was moving my cords it made his headset cut out and his ability to hear. So I left it alone and he nodded that he could hear. I looked at him on the downwind and could see him talking and got the impression that we were cleared for a full stop. There appeared to be other traffic in the pattern; so while making sure that we were clear of other aircraft; I tried to press the cups of my headset close to my head. So that maybe I could hear what was being said by my copilot and over the radios. But it did not work; I could not hear anything. The winds we gusty but the approach and final airspeed looked good. I was intent on my copilot's crosswind corrections and use of flaps. Upon touch down the aircraft settled all the way to the ground; the prop stuck; so I conducted and emergency engine shut down. I initially thought we blew a tire or that the nose gear had collapsed. No one was injured and there did appear to be any property damage other than a bent propeller. We waited on scene for service personnel to arrive. In hind sight I realize that I never saw my copilot raise the gear after the first touch and go. We also did not confirm the landing checks prior to the last full stop landing.
Two Cessna 177RG pilots reported a gear up landing due to distraction and lack of checklist usage.