Bonanza 35
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 0; Flight Crew Total 3415; Flight Crew Type 251
Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Equipment / Tooling; Human Factors; Aircraft
This was the second touch and go of the session. I turned final and was cleared for the option with gear and flaps down at 90 KTS; over the boundary fence at 85 KTS; touched down on the numbers. The nose gear collapsed as I reached to retract the flaps at the start of the go process. I do not remember the seconds of the actual collapse. The gear lever was down when the aircraft came to a halt; but some damage to the main gear doors may suggest that I wrongly started to move the gear lever instead of the flaps. With 251 hours in make and model; and the cluster of levers I needed to adjust; flaps; trim; throttle; all in a group at the left of the console; what would make me mistakenly reach right on my second touch and go of the day; if that is what happened? Fundamentals of instructing; addresses primacy; and I have 1;700 hours in Cessna 152 and C172 aircraft as student and instructor. That is my first introduction to flap levers and my most dominant one. It is possible that some early brain path took over as my eyes were outside looking to maintain runway alignment. Since the majority of pilots probably started out in Cessnas; regulators should consider prohibiting touch and goes in retracts; or insurance companies should say they will not cover them. A second issue is that as soon as the lock on the nose gear is broken; rapid collapse is inevitable. Not only the weight of the aircraft; but the forward motion conspired to force the wheel into the well. A forward folding design would still fail; but forcing the wheel forward against the motion would extend the time for deceleration and possibly allow time to shut off the fuel supply. This would minimize forces at the propeller strike and reduce damage.
Following a nose gear collapse; the pilot of a Beechcraft V35 suspects that he may have reached for the landing gear handle instead of the flap handle during a touch and go.