Accident Sequence
The flight departed on runway 32 under instrument flight rules from a local reliever airport located 35 miles south of the destination. The aircraft was cleared to intercept the instrument landing system (ILS) approach for runway 36R. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, with a low scattered cloud layer beneath a 900-foot broken cloud deck. Visibility was 8 miles.
During the approach, the flight never stabilized on the inbound course or glide slope. After acquiring the runway visually at approximately 3 miles from the airport, the airplane dove toward the runway and subsequently touched down with the landing gear retracted. The left propeller incurred greater damage than the right propeller during the gear-up landing.
The airplane then began a go-around, pitched up, and entered a steep left descending turn that continued until impact with the ground.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot's failure to follow the landing checklist and extend the landing gear for landing, and his failure to maintain visual meteorological conditions (VMC) during a go-around. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's diverted attention due to a non-stabilized instrument approach and his lack of recent instrument experience.