What happened
The aircraft executed a landing without the deployment of its landing gear, resulting in a gear-up contact with the runway surface. The incident occurred while the airplane was operating under visual meteorological conditions, which provided adequate visibility and clearance from clouds for the maneuver.
Following the event, the pilot provided a written statement explaining the sequence of events. In this account, the pilot admitted that he had simply forgotten to lower the landing gear before touchdown. This admission points to an oversight in the pre-landing checklist or procedural execution rather than a mechanical failure at the moment of impact.
The investigation
A postaccident examination was conducted to determine if the landing gear system had failed mechanically. During this inspection, the airplane was supported on jacks to allow for safe testing of the gear mechanism. The test revealed that the landing gear extended under its own power without issue. This finding confirms that the hydraulic or electrical systems responsible for gear deployment were operational and that the failure to land on the wheels was due to human error rather than equipment malfunction.