What happened
On 27 March 1999, a Beech 95-B55, registration G-FABM, was participating in a spot landing competition at Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands. During the approach, the pilot failed to extend the landing gear before touchdown. The aircraft struck the runway with its gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage to the propellers and the underside of the airframe. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation established that the landing gear warning horn failed to activate during the landing sequence. The pilot reported that several factors contributed to the oversight, noting that they were distracted by the proximity of a preceding aircraft while flying in the landing pattern. Although the competition rules specifically mandated that all pre-landing checks, including the verification of gear extension, be completed, these procedures were not successfully executed in this instance.