What happened
On 27 September 2017, a Socata TB20, registration N20TB, was engaged in a private flight at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire. The pilot had originally intended to fly to Sandown, but after evaluating the weather conditions, determined that VFR flight was not possible. To ensure the passenger, who was on their first flight, could still experience the aircraft, the pilot decided to perform a few circuits of the airfield.
During the flight, the aircraft climbed to a circuit altitude of 800 ft. After completing one circuit, the aircraft performed a landing; however, the landing gear had not been deployed, resulting in a wheels-up landing. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, though the aircraft sustained significant damage to the propeller, cowling, engine mounts, landing gear, and fuselage.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the failure to extend the landing gear. The pilot, who held a Private Pilot’s Licence and had 294 total flying hours, noted that he typically maintained a rigorous checklist routine during the final approach. The pilot could not identify why the landing gear checks were omitted during this specific approach.
One factor identified during the investigation was the pilot's use of a newly acquired noise-cancelling headset. It was suggested that this equipment may have reduced the pilot's ability to hear the aircraft's landing gear warning chimes during the descent.