Incident Overview
A pilot reported that while on a downwind leg for runway 18, he completed the landing checklist and checked that the landing gear was locked with the green light illuminated while on the base leg. During the flare to land, the aircraft's belly struck the runway. The pilot stated, 'As I flared to land, I hit the belly of the plane on the runway.' He then realized the landing gear had collapsed, and the aircraft slid down the runway.
Aircraft Inspection
Post-incident inspection of the airplane revealed damage to the right side of the belly area, particularly on the lower wing strut attach bulkhead and the forward landing gear box bulkhead. The belly skin and associated attaching hardware were ground off approximately three inches on either side of the bulkheads. The aircraft was placed on jack stands, and the landing gear was cycled numerous times with no anomalies indicated. No scratch marks or damage to the landing gear or the landing gear gearbox were found. Both tires exhibited scuff marks about four inches wide perpendicular to the tire tread, but no rotational scuffing of the tires was noted.