"Aluminum Overcast" damaged by gear collapse

In article ,
"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:



According to the Pilot Training Manual, the gear activation switch is located
between
the recognition light switches and the landing light switches. It is not
particularly
close to the flap switch. The flap switch is isolated, is not part of a row
of
switches (as is the gear switch), and it has side guards to make it easy to
differentiate between it and other controls. Personally, I think the LG
switch should
be the one that's isolated and guarded, but ....

Both the gear and flap switches are toggle switches, they are within a
couple inches of each other on the center console. On the B-17 I flew
the gear switch had a cover that had to be lifted to activate the
rectraction. Even so our procedure was for the NFP to touch the flap
switch and say "Confirm flaps?"..the FP then would check to be sure the
flap switch was selected and reply "Flaps confirmed"...then and only
then would the flaps be retracted.


I doubt it. I think an electrical problem is much more likely on a 60 year
old plane.

The gear on the -17 are electrical. Each gear has it's own
motor...nothing ties the left side to the right side. The only common
item is the gear switch. The only failure I can think of that would
cause the gear to retract would be a failure in the switch that closed
the switch. The most likely failure would be human.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html