Incident Overview
During a training flight, the pilots were cleared to perform a touch-and-go landing. The aircraft touched down on the runway and began to decelerate. The private pilot who was receiving instruction raised the flaps, but instead of advancing the throttles to initiate a go-around as per company standard operating procedures, she raised the landing gear control switch. This action caused the landing gear to retract while the aircraft was still on the runway.
Subsequent Events
With the landing gear retracted, the aircraft skidded along the runway surface before coming to a halt. A fire subsequently broke out. Both occupants—the student pilot and the instructor—were able to evacuate the aircraft without reported injury.
System Functionality
The aircraft is equipped with a squat switch designed to prevent inadvertent landing gear retraction when weight is on the wheels. After the incident, the squat switch was tested and found to be functioning satisfactorily, indicating that the retraction occurred despite the safety mechanism.