What happened
During a training mission at Iqaluit, Nunavut, an Air Nunavut Beech 200 Super King Air was conducting a flight intended to upgrade a pilot to captain status. The flight crew was performing a visual flight rules (VFR) circuit designed to simulate landing procedures without the use of flaps. During the maneuvers, the crew encountered a communication malfunction on the primary radio (COM 1) while two other aircraft were approaching the airport.
As the aircraft reached the end of the downwind leg, the crew proceeded to simulate a flap failure and initiated the relevant checklists. However, the crew failed to complete the necessary landing checklist before touchdown. Consequently, the aircraft arrived on runway 16 with the landing gear retracted. The Beech 200 Super King Air struck the runway surface on its belly, skidding along the pavement and coming to a halt between taxiway A and taxiway G.
Following the impact, the crew declared an emergency and successfully evacuated the aircraft. There were no injuries reported among the crew members. The aircraft experienced significant damage, specifically to the propellers and the belly pod.
Findings
An investigation into the incident identified that the primary contributing factor was the failure to complete the landing checklist following the simulation of a flap failure.