What happened
On the evening of 22 February 1998, a Cessna 410, registration N425TV, was conducting a private night flight into Aberdeen Airport. While intercepting the glideslope during an ILS approach, the pilot performed landing checks but failed to lower the landing gear.
During the descent, the pilot noted that the approach speed was higher than anticipated, which he attributed to the aircraft's light weight. When the landing gear warning horn activated, the pilot chose to disable the horn rather than addressing the gear position. Upon touchdown, the propellers struck the runway surface, causing foreign object damage (FOD) to both engines. The pilot immediately raised the nose, applied power, and lowered the gear in an attempt to perform a relanding. However, during the subsequent roll-out, the aircraft drifted off the side of the runway, where the left main landing gear became bogged in soft ground.
The investigation
The investigation was based on an accident report submitted by the pilot. The inquiry established that the pilot had a Commercial Pilot's Licence issued by the FAA and possessed 453 hours of experience on this specific aircraft type.
Investigators examined the pilot's actions leading up to the incident and identified two primary distractions. The pilot noted that an annoying buzzing sound had been present in the audio system for approximately 40 minutes prior to the approach. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the pilot's procedural discipline regarding cockpit checklists.