What happened
On August 5, 2022, a Tecnam P20_06T, registration SP-SMR, was conducting training flights at EPPO airport. The flight crew, consisting of an instructor and a student pilot, was performing maneuvers involving landings with a single engine inoperative.
During the approach to landing at approximately 09:29 LMT, the student pilot deployed the flaps but failed to extend the landing gear. The instructor did not notice the omission, and the aircraft subsequently landed with the gear retracted. Once the aircraft came to a stop, the instructor shut down the engine and notified the Tower controller of the gear-up landing. Airport Fire Service and the Duty Manager attended the scene. After the aircraft was lifted by a crane to allow the gear to extend, it was towed to the parking stand with controller approval.
Post-flight inspections revealed significant damage, including abrasions on the lower fuselage skin and the loss of all antennas located in the affected area.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the cockpit procedures during the approach phase. It was established that the student pilot did not perform the checklist items aloud. Furthermore, the instructor failed to monitor the student's actions or notice the error in the landing configuration.
Following the incident, approximately 4.5 square meters of fuselage panels and the damaged antennas were replaced in accordance with the manufacturer's work card. After completing these repairs and a successful test flight, the aircraft was returned to service.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the failure to extend the landing gear prior to landing.
- The instructor provided insufficient supervision of the student pilot's actions.
- A contributing factor was the failure to follow standard operating procedures, specifically the failure to call out checklist items during the approach.