What happened
On 20 July 2013, a Cessna 210D Centurion, registration G-OWAN, departed from a farm strip in North Yorkshire for a private flight. The aircraft was occupied by two pilots and one passenger. During the initial climb, the pilot in the left seat observed oil leaking from the engine cowling. This oil began to flow across the windscreen, significantly reducing forward visibility.
Due to the impaired vision, the pilot requested that the pilot in the right seat take control of the aircraft to complete the landing. During this transition on short finals, the crew failed to extend the landing gear. The aircraft subsequently touched down gently but slid along the grass on its belly, resulting in damage to the propeller and the underside of the fuselage. There were no injuries to the occupants.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the gear omission and the source of the fluid leak. Investigators determined that the oil leakage was caused by an improperly secured engine oil filler cap. Regarding the landing gear, the pilot in the right seat noted that because the flaps had already been lowered, he assumed the aircraft was already fully configured for landing. The investigation also noted that the gear warning horn did not activate when the throttle was set to idle, though the specific reason for this failure remained undetermined at the time of the report.