What happened
On February 12, 2012, a Cessna 310R, registration PT-ONX, was performing a ferry flight from Cornélio Procópio to Amarais Aerodrome in Campinas, Brazil. The aircraft was carrying one pilot and four passengers.
During the approach to the traffic pattern, the pilot encountered a high volume of instructional aircraft in the vicinity. To maintain separation and reposition the aircraft, the pilot executed a 360-degree turn. During this maneuver, the pilot retracted the landing gear and flaps. After waiting for two other aircraft to complete their landings, the pilot resumed the approach for landing on runway 16. However, the aircraft touched down with the landing gear still retracted, resulting in a gear-up landing. The aircraft slid approximately 300 meters along the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the propellers, engines, and the underside of the wings. All five occupants were unharmed.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records and performed functional tests on the landing gear system. The investigation confirmed that the landing gear system was fully operational and that no mechanical discrepancies prevented the gear from extending.
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions during the approach. The pilot admitted to not performing the landing checklist prior to touchdown. Furthermore, the investigation established that the pilot's attention was heavily focused on traffic separation and positioning within the busy circuit, which led to the omission of critical landing configurations.