What happened
On June 29, 2015, at approximately 1944 Hawaiian standard time, a Short Bros SD3-60, registration N221LM, performed a gear-up landing at Kalaeloa Airport (JRK) in Kapolei, Hawaii. The flight, which originated from Honolulu International Airport, was a scheduled flight check for the first officer.
During the final approach and landing, the crew believed they had completed the Before Landing checklist, which includes verifying that the landing gear is extended. However, the aircraft landed with the landing gear retracted. As the airplane rolled along the runway and the nose lowered, the forward bottom section of the fuselage made contact with the runway surface. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, but the two occupants, the captain and the first officer, were not injured.
The investigation
An inspection by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and the NTSB confirmed structural damage to the underside of the fuselage near the nose wheel. An operational check of the landing gear system showed no mechanical anomalies.
Investigators determined that the aircraft's landing gear warning horn did not activate during the final approach because the crew was flying a partial flap approach. Technical specifications for the aircraft indicate that during a partial flap approach, the warning horn is designed to activate only when a power lever is moved to the flight idle position. Because the power required to maintain airspeed during this specific approach exceeded the flight idle position, the horn remained silent.
Findings
- The crew failed to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.
- The crew failed to properly complete the Before Landing checklist.
- The landing gear warning horn did not provide an alert because the power lever settings during the partial flap approach prevented the horn from activating.