On February 9, 1985, a Beech 95-C55 (registration N211DS) was involved in an aviation accident near Charleston, SC. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot conducting a practice coupled ILS approach in VMC failed to recognize gear warnings and landed with gear retracted. The pilot, aircraft owner, had 150 hours in type; no safety pilot was present.
Incident Summary
A pilot was performing a practice coupled ILS approach in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The localizer was intercepted outside the outer marker. The pilot deliberately kept the landing gear retracted, intending to lower it at the outer marker. The approach continued inbound to the decision height, at which point the pilot resumed manual control. The gear warning light illuminated and an aural gear warning sounded, but the pilot did not recognize their meaning. The aircraft touched down with the gear up, resulting in a gear-up landing.
Pilot and Flight Details
The pilot was the owner of the aircraft. He had 150 hours of experience in the specific make and model flown. No safety pilot was on board. The passenger was not a pilot.