On March 26, 1998, a Cessna 310R (registration N3700G) operated by Airnet Systems was involved in an aviation accident near Sioux Falls, SD. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's failure to extend the landing gear for landing. Factors associated with the accident were: the crosswind, and the pilot not following his normal habit pattern of lowering the landing gear on base leg. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported that after making a single 180-degree turn from downwind to final due to gusty crosswinds, he forgot to extend the landing gear, resulting in a gear-up landing on runway 21.
Event Description
During an approach to land on runway 21, the pilot executed a single 180-degree turn from downwind to final. This maneuver was prompted by gusty crosswind conditions. The pilot later reported that his normal procedure was to lower the landing gear on the base leg of the traffic pattern. However, because the approach did not follow a standard traffic pattern, his habitual sequence was interrupted. As a result, he failed to extend the landing gear before touchdown.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that the abbreviated pattern caused him to deviate from his usual checklist sequence. He acknowledged that under normal circumstances, he would have extended the landing gear while on the base leg. The gusty crosswinds necessitated the shortened pattern, but this alteration led to the omission of the gear extension step.
Outcome
The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear still retracted. The incident resulted in damage to the aircraft. No further details about injuries or extent of damage were provided in the report.