Incident
A business jet completed a visual approach and landed on the runway with the landing gear retracted. The airplane slid to a stop, and a post-crash fire ensued, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft. The two pilots, who were the sole occupants, egressed successfully without injury.
Pilot Statements
During telephone interviews and written statements, both pilots stated that there were no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded deployment of the landing gear and a successful landing. The first officer noted that the gear warning was only audible in the left seat (captain's) headset and was not heard in her headset (right seat) or the overhead speaker. She also reported that the communications panel had a “history” of problems.
Cockpit Voice Recorder Analysis
Review of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) confirmed the limitations of the airplane’s communication system, that the crew was aware of them, and that they discussed and debated how to mitigate the system’s limitations. The CVR also revealed that during the flights on the day of the accident, the performance of Before-Starting-Engines, Engine Start, Before Taxi, Before Takeoff, Before Landing and other tasks did not comport with the manufacturer’s checklists and were sometimes performed without any verbal communication between crew members.
Additionally, the CVR recording showed that the captain removed his headset due to a 500Hz “squeal” that he failed to identify as the gear warning horn, and consequently missed the repeating, “too low, gear” aural warning that followed.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause stated by investigators: The flight crew’s failure to properly configure the airplane before landing and the captain’s subsequent failure to recognize the landing gear aural warning, which resulted in a gear-up landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew’s inadequate checklist use and crew coordination, and the known diminished capability of the airplane’s communication system.