What happened
On July 29, 2017, a private Beechcraft A3 .36 Bonanza, registration F-GLSR, was conducting a general aviation flight from Aix-les-Milles to Lyon-Bron. Upon arrival, the pilot was cleared by Lyon Information to proceed on a long final approach for runway 34. During the descent to 2,500 feet, the controller instructed the pilot to contact the "Bravo Roméo" ADF radio beacon. The pilot was unable to locate the beacon and subsequently informed the controller that the runway was in sight and that the aircraft was established on the long final.
After receiving landing clearance from the Lyon-Bron tower, the pilot reduced power and transitioned the flaps to the landing configuration. During the short final, the propeller controls were set to full fine pitch and the mixture to full rich. The aircraft subsequently touched down with the landing gear retracted, sliding approximately 200 meters along the runway before coming to a stop. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions during the approach and the mechanical state of the aircraft. The pilot, who held a PPL(A) issued in 2013 and had 235 total flight hours, admitted to being distracted by the failure to locate the ADF radio beacon. The pilot also acknowledged failing to perform the landing checklist and neglecting to verify the landing gear position indicator during the final approach.
While the pilot reported that no landing gear warning alarm was heard during the flare, the investigation examined the aircraft's systems. A subsequent test of the landing gear extension mechanism revealed no functional anomalies or errors in the gear position indication system.