Incident Overview
A commercial pilot experienced a gear-up landing during a crosswind approach. According to his account to NTSB investigators, he was landing in gusty crosswind conditions with winds reported at 25 knots. Due to turbulence encountered during cruise flight, the pilot reduced speed and deployed 20 degrees of flaps. His usual procedure was to extend the landing gear first to help slow the aircraft before adding flaps. However, on this occasion, he neglected to lower the gear. The gear-up warning horn activated, but the pilot stated he heard it too late to initiate a go-around. Consequently, the aircraft touched down with the wheels retracted.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported that the turbulence prompted him to slow the airplane and extend flaps while still in cruise. He acknowledged that his normal habit was to extend the landing gear to increase drag prior to flap extension. He admitted forgetting to perform the gear extension step and only realized the omission when the warning horn sounded, at which point he determined a go-around was not feasible. Landing with the gear retracted resulted in damage to the aircraft.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident. The pilot provided the above details to the investigator-in-charge. No further information regarding aircraft type, registration, operator, location, date, or occupant status has been released. The investigation is ongoing.