What happened
On March 8, 2005, a Mooney M20 R, registration I-CBSQ, was performing a private flight from Ferrara to Torino Aeritalia. During the approach and landing phase, the aircraft struck the runway with its landing gear still in the retracted position. The impact caused significant damage to the propeller, with the blades bending inward, and damaged the lower fuselage, specifically the landing gear bay doors. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, remained uninjured.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation focused on why the pilot failed to extend the gear and why no warning was received. The investigation established that during pre-flight inspections, the pilot had checked the aircraft's fuses by removing and reinserting them. However, the pilot failed to reinsert the fuse for the landing gear position warning horn. Consequently, when the gear remained retracted during the landing sequence, the cockpit audio alert failed to trigger. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was operating without a filed flight plan.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's failure to extend the landing gear due to an oversight.
- A significant contributing factor was the pilot's failure to replace the landing gear warning horn fuse during pre-flight checks, which prevented the cockpit alert from notifying the pilot of the gear's status.
- A reduction in the pilot's situational awareness contributed to the event, as the pilot was unaware of both the electrical error and the improper gear configuration until the moment of impact.