What happened
The incident occurred during the final phase of flight as the pilot was conducting an approach to land. According to the pilot's statement, he became significantly preoccupied with receiving hold short instructions and traffic advisories from air traffic control. This distraction caused him to deviate from his standard landing checklist routine.
As a direct result of this lapse in procedure, the pilot failed to lower the landing gear before touchdown. The airplane subsequently landed on its belly, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft structure.
The investigation
The investigation relied primarily on the pilot's own account of the events leading up to the accident. No mechanical failure of the landing gear system was identified as a contributing factor. The primary finding was the pilot's failure to complete the landing checklist due to cognitive overload from external communications.
Findings
The key factors contributing to this accident were:
- The pilot's preoccupation with air traffic control instructions during a critical phase of flight.
- A deviation from the established landing routine and checklist procedures.
- Failure to lower the landing gear prior to touchdown.
These actions resulted in a gear-up landing that caused significant damage to the airplane. The event highlights the importance of maintaining focus on aircraft configuration during the approach and landing phases, even when managing complex air traffic control communications.