What happened
On July 2, 2006, a Socata TB 21, registration I-PDRG, was conducting a recreational flight from Treviso to Florence. The aircraft was operated by Aero Club Treviso and was occupied by a single pilot.
During the approach to runway 05 at Florence Peret andola Airport, the pilot maintained an airspeed of approximately 80 knots. Upon touchdown, the pilot realized that the landing gear had not been deployed. The aircraft continued along the runway, coming to a stop near the midpoint of the strip. The initial contact with the runway surface was made by the propeller, followed by the belly of the fuselage.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the gear-up landing and the pilot's response to cockpit warnings. The aircraft sustained significant damage, including propeller damage, abrasions to the lower fuselage and engine exhaust, deformation of the flap terminals, and damage to the ventral antennas and steps.
Analysis of the aircraft's condition indicated that the engine was at a low rotational speed at the moment of impact. The pilot stated that an audible warning indicating the gear was not extended had been active during the final approach. However, the pilot reported that they had ignored this alert because their attention was focused on maintaining the required airspeed and pitch parameters for the landing.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the failure to extend the landing gear and the failure to perform required pre-landing checks.
- The pilot failed to respond to the cockpit's audible landing gear warning signal during the final approach phase.