What happened
On 28 May 2012, a Cessna 177RG Cardinal with registration G-BBHI was conducting a training flight at Newtonards Airport, Co Down. The pilot, who was undergoing instruction to regain a Certificate of Revalidation and IMC rating, was accompanied by an instructor. The flight included various maneuvers such as stalls, forced landing practices, and glide approaches.
Following these exercises, the crew decided to leave the circuit to test the aircraft's autopilot system, which had recently undergone maintenance and was exhibiting intermittent issues. After attempting to troubleshoot the autopilot, the crew prepared to return to the airfield before its 18:00 hrs closure.
While joining the circuit for Runway 22, the crew's attention was diverted by the challenges of an upcoming crosswind landing. As the aircraft transitioned through the round-out phase, a loud scraping sound alerted the occupants that the landing gear had not been deployed. The aircraft subsequently slid on its fuselage for approximately 150 meters. There were no injuries to the two occupants, though the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller tips, the underside of the fuselage, and the engine due to shock-loading, as well as damage to a radio navigational aid antenna.
The investigation
The investigation established that both the instructor and the pilot-under-training had neglected to select the landing gear down position. The crew noted that their focus had been heavily concentrated on managing a low-altitude approach into a crosswind. The instructor also noted that his own level of relaxation, stemming from confidence in the trainee's abilities, may have contributed to the oversight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.
- Concentration on the difficulties of an upcoming crosswind landing diverted the crew's attention from the landing configuration.
- The instructor's high level of confidence in the trainee's proficiency may have led to a lapse in oversight.
- The aircraft, G-BBHI, was not equipped with an audio or visual landing gear configuration warning system, a feature present in later production models of this type.