What happened
On 7 July 2006, a BAC 167 Strikemaster MK80, registration G-FLYY, was conducting circuit practice at Kemble Airfield in Gloucestershire. The flight was a training session intended for refresher instruction, with the aircraft owner acting as the pilot in command and a second pilot present on board.
During one of the circuits, the landing gear was not extended or locked. The pilot in command failed to notice that the gear was not down and did not perform the required 'three greens' verification. Consequently, the aircraft touched down on the runway with the landing gear in the retracted position. The aircraft slid along the runway surface before coming to a stop on the centreline. Following the touchdown, the engine was shut down.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the gear-up landing and the resulting damage. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board. The physical inspection of the aircraft revealed that the primary damage was sustained by the underwing fuel tanks, which were found to be worn flat and punctured due to the impact with the runway.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the failure to select the landing gear down during the approach.
- The pilot in command failed to observe that the landing gear was not in the down and locked position.
- The pilot failed to complete the standard landing gear check, specifically the verification of the 'three greens' cockpit indications.