Introduction
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, at about 12:46 Japan Standard Time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T (registration JA4128) operated as a private familiarization flight executed a belly landing on Runway 21 at Oshima Airport, Tokyo Metropolis. The aircraft’s propeller, fuselage underside, and other parts contacted the runway surface. The pilot and one passenger were on board; neither sustained injuries. The aircraft suffered minor damage to the propeller blades and abrasion marks on the lower fuselage, and no fire occurred.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a Piper PA-28RT-201T, serial number 28R-7931260, manufactured June 29, 1979, with a valid airworthiness certificate (No. Tou-2024-355) expiring December 5, 2025. It was equipped with a retractable landing gear powered by a hydraulic system, a landing gear warning horn and warning light that activate when the throttle is retarded below 14 inHg with the gear not down and locked, and a separate stall warning horn (continuous sound).
The pilot, age 75, held a commercial pilot certificate (single-engine land) and a Class 1 medical certificate valid to December 4, 2025. Total flight time was 435 hours 30 minutes, with only 5 hours 49 minutes (7 flights) on type; the last 30 days included 1 hour 39 minutes. The passenger, age 98, held a private pilot certificate (single-engine land) and had approximately 3,400 hours total flight time, including about 1,500 hours on the type, but had retired from active flying and acted as a supervisor.
Event Sequence
According to the investigation, the aircraft was flying under visual flight rules from the northwest toward Oshima Airport. The pilot, seated in the left seat, and the passenger in the right seat, planned to land on Runway 21. With no other traffic, the pilot decided to join the traffic pattern from the base leg. After turning onto final approach, the pilot extended the flaps by one notch but did not perform the landing gear down operation. At 12:46, the aircraft touched down with the landing gear retracted, slid on its belly, and came to a stop on the runway.
The pilot stated that on previous flights with this aircraft, he had always flown the downwind leg and extended the landing gear when abeam the runway center. On this flight, joining from the base leg removed that habitual trigger. After turning final, he became preoccupied with adjusting the approach angle due to being below the normal path and slight turbulence, and did not reconfirm the gear position. Immediately before landing (at about 3 m AGL), he noticed the warning light illuminated but mistook it for a stall warning and did not recognize the warning horn sound. He had not used the checklist during the flight.
The passenger reported being concerned about the low altitude on final and advised the pilot to correct the approach angle; while monitoring the correction, the passenger also failed to notice the gear was not extended.
Analysis
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) analyzed that the pilot’s lack of a downwind leg likely removed the reminder to lower the gear. Additionally, since the pilot had only flown fixed-gear aircraft since 2010, he may not have properly internalized the gear-down procedure. The warning system functioned normally, but the pilot misinterpreted the warning light and did not react to the horn, likely due to concentration on landing. The absence of checklist use prevented a final verification of the landing configuration. The JTSB noted that using checklists is critical to prevent omission errors, as highlighted in prior reports on similar incidents.