Belly Landing of a Diamond DA-42 at Brussels South Charleroi Airport

Incident Overview and Flight History On 4 August 2015 at 18:25 UTC, a Diamond Aircraft Industries DA-42, registration F-GUPM, was involved in a serious incident at Brussels South Charleroi Airport (EBCI). The aircraft, registered in France, was conducting an IFR training flight with one instructor and one student on board. The flight originated at EBCI, proceeded to EBKT, and returned to EBCI to perform a go-around followed by a one-engine-out exercise. During the approach to Runway 25, the crew executed a go-around simulating a right engine failure. After climbing to 1,500 feet and rejoining the circuit, the aircraft extended the downwind leg due to traffic. As the aircraft turned for the base leg, the instructor prompted the student to lower the landing gear. However, upon entering the final approach and retarding the throttles, the landing gear warning horn sounded, indicating the gear remained retracted. The instructor decided to proceed with the landing. The aircraft touched down on its belly, skidding on the footsteps, engine exhausts, and tail pad before stopping after 300 to 400 meters. The crew reported the belly landing was remarkably smooth, and no injuries were sustained.