On April 12, 1995, a Beechcraft 200 Super King Air (registration P2-IAH) operated by Islands Nationair was involved in an aviation accident near Lae-Nadzab Tomodachi, Papua New Guinea during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It was reported that all three green lights came on in the cockpit panel on approach after the gear were selected down. But following a failure in the electrical system, it appears that all three gears remained stuck on their wheel well. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A twin-engine aircraft made a gear-up landing at Lae-Nadzab Airport after a landing gear failure. Both occupants escaped uninjured, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The probable cause was an electrical system failure that prevented gear extension.
Incident Details
A twin-engine aircraft executed a belly landing at Lae-Nadzab Airport. During the approach, the crew selected the landing gear down. The cockpit panel indicated all three green lights, suggesting the gear was down and locked. However, the gear failed to extend. The aircraft touched down with the gear retracted, sliding several dozen meters along the runway before coming to a stop. Both occupants evacuated the aircraft without injury. The aircraft sustained damage beyond economical repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the landing gear malfunction was caused by a failure in the electrical system. Although the gear selector was placed in the down position and all three green lights illuminated, the electrical failure prevented the gear from extending. Consequently, the landing gear remained stuck in their wheel wells, leading to the belly landing.