What happened
On 7 May 2016, a Zlin Z.526F Trener Master, registration G-EHZT, was performing a private flight at Seething Airfield, Norfolk. During the approach to the runway, the pilot reduced engine power to decrease airspeed and prepare for landing configuration. At this stage, a landing gear warning bell activated. The pilot believed he had successfully deployed the landing gear and selected the first stage of flaps. After increasing power to manage the approach speed, the warning bell ceased. The pilot continued the approach, extending the remaining flaps. As the aircraft flared for touchdown at idle power, the warning bell sounded once more. The aircraft subsequently landed with the landing gear in the up position, causing it to slide along the runway until it came to a halt. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained damage to the cowlings, propeller, central fuselage, and flaps.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's actions and the cockpit environment during the approach. It was noted that the pilot believed the green landing gear indicator light was illuminated, though he found it difficult to see clearly due to glare. Crucially, the pilot did not utilize the wing-mounted 'barber's pole' indicators, which extend from the wings to provide a visual confirmation of gear deployment. Furthermore, the investigation found that the pilot had recently been flying a different aircraft type where the stall warning and the landing gear warning horn produced identical sounds. This led the pilot to misinterpret the warning bell heard just before touchdown as a stall warning, a sound he was accustomed to hearing during the landing phase of that other aircraft.