Date: 201602
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZZZ.Tower, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: PA-28R Cherokee Arrow All Series
Operator: FBO
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: VFR
Mission: Training
Flight phase: Landing
Airspace: Class D ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Tower ZZZ
Aircraft component: Gear Extend/Retract Mechanism
Component problem: Design
Reporter organization: FBO
Reporter function: Instructor; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Human factors: Distraction; Situational Awareness
Second reporter function: Pilot Flying
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: I departed with my commercial student to go perform landings. After doing 3 landings; we requested a short approach to practice his power off 180's. After getting cleared for the approach from tower and reaching abeam our landing point; my student went power idle. As the power came out; the gear over ride deployed; extending the gear as the power went below 15' manifold pressure. At that point I realized I forgot to disengage the emergency gear over ride to practice the power off 180's. Once we realized that the gear extended; we verified we had three green. Since this was not the normal position in a power off 180 where we extend our gear; we did not put the gear in the down position. As we continued with the approach we realized that we didn't need flaps for the landing; we verified three green on final. Once we landed; we went full power for the takeoff. As we reached our normal Vr speed of 70; we rotated. That was when we felt a bump and heard a skidding sound and I grabbed the controls immediately and continued the climb out. We then contacted tower asking if they saw anything on the runway; as it sounded as if our landing gear sheared off. They said they saw nothing on the runway. We continued with the climb out; that's when I went to reach for the landing gear lever; which was when I realized it was not in the down position. We proceeded with a low approach and as we put our gear in the down position; we once again had three greens and tower said everything looked good.We then departed back to [home field] in which I prepared for a soft field landing just in case something was wrong with the gear that we weren't aware of. It wasn't until taxing back to transient parking and shutting the plane down; we realized we had a prop strike.I can be more aware of everything going on in the plane rather than just relying on the indications that I'm seeing.


Second narrative: I departed with my instructor for touch and go's. After three touch and go's; we requested a short approach to practice power off 180s. We were cleared short approach and for a touch and go on 26R. When I set power to idle; the landing gear deployed automatically as the override had not been activated. At that time; all three gear indicator lights were green. Since this was not the point in a power off 180 where we would normally lower the gear; we did not put the gear switch in the down position at that time. As I continued the landing; I determined that I needed to land without flaps to complete the landing at my aiming point. After turning final; I checked and saw that all three landing gear position lights were green. I completed the landing and applied full power. When we reached 70 knots and rotated; we felt a bump under the airplane and heard a scraping sound. [The flight instructor] thought that the landing gear had sheared off and took control of the airplane. As we climbed out I saw that the landing gear position switch was in the up position.We reported this to tower and did a low approach with our gear down. Tower visually checked our landing gear and said that everything appeared normal. We departed the airspace and returned to [home field]. [The flight instructor] performed a soft field landing in case there was a problem with the landing gear that was not visible to the tower and not being indicated to us inside the cockpit. After landing and taxing to the transient ramp; we shut the engine down and saw that the propeller was bent on both sides. It was at that time that we realized that we had a prop strike.


Synopsis: A pilot and flight instructor reported a prop strike in a Piper Arrow after a touch-and-go as the gear retracted due to auto-extension and failure to match the landing gear handle.