What happened
The aircraft was conducting a standard approach for landing when the pilot failed to extend the landing gear. Upon contact with the runway, the airplane touched down on its belly rather than its wheels. The aircraft then slid forward approximately 500 feet along the pavement before coming to a stop. Local witnesses observed the entire sequence of events, noting that the plane completed the approach and subsequently landed without its gear deployed.
The investigation
Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration conducted a post-accident examination of the aircraft's landing gear mechanism. Inspectors looked for any mechanical failures or system malfunctions that might have prevented the gear from extending normally. The examination revealed no abnormalities in the landing gear system that would have precluded normal operations.
Findings
The primary factor in this event was the pilot's failure to lower the landing gear before touchdown. Since the mechanical inspection found no evidence of a malfunction, the cause is attributed to human error rather than equipment failure.