What happened
During the descent, the pilot of the aircraft noted that the flight was high and fast. After entering the downwind leg at 3000 feet, the pilot realized the altitude was still too high and deployed flaps. During the final approach, the aircraft was operated with full flaps at a speed of 80 mph.
Approximately one-half mile from the runway, the pilot moved the landing gear switch to the down position but did not immediately verify the status via the gear down lights. The pilot did not check the indicator lights until the aircraft was over the runway, at which point the lights failed to indicate that the gear was down. At that stage, a go-around was deemed too late to execute.
The aircraft touched down and slid approximately 170 yards along the runway before coming to a stop. Upon exiting the aircraft, the pilot observed black smoke emanating from beneath the plane. An ensuing fire subsequently consumed the rear portion of the fuselage. The pilot was not injured.