What happened
On 22 August 2017, a Diamond DA42 Twin Star, registration G-OCCX, was conducting a training sortie at Coventry Airport. The flight was part of a Multi-Engine Piston Flight Instructor’s course, involving upper air exercises. During the flight, the trainee pilot was practicing asymmetric handling techniques. To simulate a specific engine condition, one engine was set to 10% load to produce zero thrust.
During these maneuvers, the landing gear warning horn began sounding continuously. The pilot under training proceeded to join the right base for a flapless landing on Runway 05, while the engine remained at zero thrust. Despite the commander's belief that the landing gear configuration had been verified, the aircraft struck the runway with the gear retracted, resulting in no injuries to the two crew members.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events leading to the impact and the state of the aircraft's systems. It was established that the landing gear warning horn had been sounding for approximately 10 minutes prior to the touchdown. The investigation also reviewed the damage sustained by the aircraft, which included impacts to the engines, both propellers, the underside of the fuselage, antennas, and the entry steps.
Findings
- The aircraft landed with the landing gear in the retracted position.
- The landing gear warning horn had been active for a prolonged period before the landing.
- The commander had become accustomed to the continuous sound of the warning horn, which likely contributed to the failure to recognize that the gear was not down.