Accident Overview
On Friday, May 31, 2024, at approximately 14:27 Japan Standard Time, a Textron Aviation G58, registration JA212H, operated by Academic Corporate Body HIRATA GAKUEN, made a belly landing on Runway 09 at Kobe Airport. The aircraft was on a training flight for an instrument flight certificate. The three occupants—the captain (instructor), Trainee A, and Trainee B—were not injured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Flight History
The aircraft took off from Runway 09 at 13:58 JST with Trainee A in the left seat (pilot flying), the captain in the right seat (instructor), and Trainee B in the right rear seat. The flight plan included five touch-and-goes. The first three were flown along the south-side traffic pattern; the next two were to be flown in a circling pattern at lower altitude and shorter distance. According to the flight instructions, the landing gear was to remain down during circling pattern touch-and-goes.
After completing four touch-and-goes without incident, the aircraft began the second circling pattern touch-and-go. The captain instructed Trainee A to go around just before landing. Trainee A raised the landing gear and fully retracted the flaps per normal go-around procedure. After climbing straight to 560 ft, Trainee A set flaps to approach position while turning toward the downwind leg. The captain advised the school by radio that they would land. Per procedure, the captain should have then directed the trainee to extend the landing gear, but he forgot to do so.
During the downwind leg, the captain noted high airspeed and excessive distance from the runway and instructed corrections. Trainee A began the base turn while correcting distance. The aircraft's speed was above the target of 110 knots, requiring descent adjustments and full flap extension later than planned. Trainee A fully lowered the flaps near the approach end of the approach lights but did not perform the NORMAL LANDING checklist. A warning sound (indicating gear not extended) was audible, but Trainee A, focused on speed and descent, did not respond; the captain only realized the warning afterward; Trainee B did not notice it.
Crew Actions
The captain reported that he felt something was wrong during the flare. After touchdown, the sound of propellers hitting the runway and lower fuselage scraping confirmed the landing gear was up. The aircraft came to a stop, and the captain reported the gear-up landing to air traffic control. The landing gear handle was found in the up position. All three occupants disembarked on their own.
Aircraft Damage
The aircraft was substantially damaged, including:
- Lower fuselage structure: scratch marks (damage equivalent to major repairs)
- Lower fuselage: scratch marks, detached panels, damaged antennas (radio communication and ATC transponder)
- Both propeller blades: bent, with scratch marks
- Aileron: scratch marks
- Flaps: detached from trailing edge joint, scratch marks
Investigation
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) investigated. The aircraft had a valid airworthiness certificate; weight and balance were within limits. Weather at 14:00 was wind 050° at 10 kt, visibility 10 km or more, light shower, clouds at 800 ft (stratus), 3,000 ft (cumulus), and 7,000 ft (altocumulus). The aircraft's gear-up warning system (audible and visual) was tested and found normal. The crew had previously heard the warning; Trainee B stated it was audible from the rear seat.
No probable cause was determined in the report.