Incident Overview
On 5 June 2016 at 1700 UTC, a Europa XS aircraft (registration G-CCUL) with a single Rotax 912 ULS piston engine was operating a private flight with one pilot and one passenger. The pilot, aged 55, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 1,661 hours of flying experience, including 420 hours on the type. The aircraft landed with its landing gear retracted, resulting in damage to two propeller blades and the transponder antenna. Both occupants were uninjured and vacated the aircraft normally.
Approach and Landing
The pilot arrived overhead Rayne Hall Farm Airfield from the north-east and joined crosswind for Runway 09. During the approach, he heard several partial radio transmissions on the SAFETYCOM frequency but could not identify their source. On final approach, the pilot reported being high on the approach path and experiencing less stable speed than usual; he did not perform a go-around. Upon touchdown, the aircraft settled lower than expected, pitched nose-down, and slid to a halt in a gear-up landing.
Pilot's Assessment
The pilot attributed the incident to his failure to action the before-landing checklist, possibly due to distraction caused by the partial radio transmissions.