Background
A pilot was conducting an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight with a clearance to Madison. The approach phase occurred at night, and air traffic control (ATC) cleared the flight for a visual approach. Both the flight operations and ATC handling were described as normal throughout the approach.
Flight Details
During the arrival to the airport area, the pilot received and accepted the visual approach clearance. The pilot reported that the approach proceeded routinely until the landing phase. At that point, the pilot inadvertently failed to extend the landing gear. As a result, the aircraft touched down with the gear retracted, resulting in a gear-up landing.
Incident
Following the gear-up landing, the pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft. The pilot acknowledged that the gear-up landing occurred because he forgot to lower the landing gear. No additional details about the aircraft or occupants were provided in the report.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot's oversight in not extending the landing gear led to the gear-up landing. There were no contributing mechanical or ATC factors identified. The event underscores the importance of adherence to landing checklists, especially during night operations.