What happened
During a routine local training session at Ilorin Airport, a flight crew was performing a series of touch-and-go maneuvers. As the aircraft was on its final approach for the concluding segment of the flight, the co-pilot accidentally raised the landing gear.
Because the gear was not extended, the aircraft made contact with the runway on its belly. The impact caused the plane to slide for several hundred meters along the airfield. The force of the landing resulted in significant structural damage, specifically causing the number 2 and number 3 engines to be partially torn from their mounts.
Despite the severity of the impact, all three crew members managed to exit the aircraft without sustaining any injuries. The aircraft itself was declared a total loss, as the damage was deemed beyond repair.
Findings
- The primary factor in the accident was the inadvertent retraction of the landing gear by the co-pilot during the final approach phase.