What happened
During a flight intended for a single-pilot type rating checkride in a turbine airplane, an incident occurred involving the improper configuration of the landing gear. The flight was being conducted under the supervision of a designated pilot examiner. Following a series of maneuvers and emergency procedures, the examiner instructed the pilot to execute a landing without the use of flaps.
While the pilot believed the landing gear had been deployed, the aircraft struck the runway with the gear retracted. Upon touchdown, the pilot felt a physical impact and initially suspected a tire failure. However, a visual inspection revealed that the landing gear handle remained in the up position. Because the pilot was performing a no-flap landing, the landing gear warning horn did not activate to alert the crew of the configuration error. The examiner verified that the gear handle was indeed in the up position.
Findings
An inspection conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector confirmed that the landing gear handle was in the up position at the time of the accident. The aircraft, which had no reported mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the event, suffered substantial damage to the fuselage due to the impact. Following the incident, the landing gear was successfully lowered and locked into place once the aircraft was moved from the runway.