What happened
On February 28, 2021, a Piper PA-23-250 (registration PR-AAD) was conducting a local maintenance flight at the Americana Aerodrome (SDAI) in São Paulo, Brazil. The flight, operated by Hiparc Geotec Projetos e Aerolevantamentos Ltda., was intended to perform touch-and-go maneuvers for training purposes. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and one passenger.
During the approach to runway 12, the aircraft touched down with its landing gear retracted. The initial impact with the runway was made by the right-side boarding step, followed by the propellers of both engines striking the pavement. The aircraft traveled approximately 300 meters along the runway before coming to a complete stop. The impact caused light damage to the propellers, flaps, fairings, and landing gear doors. Both occupants of the aircraft were uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the aircraft's systems and the pilot's actions. Post-accident ground tests of the landing gear system, including the emergency extension and the landing gear warning horn, revealed no mechanical or electrical abnormalities. The aircraft was found to be within weight and balance limits, and all maintenance records were up to date.
The investigation focused on the pilot's workload during the approach. The pilot was managing heavy radio communications due to busy traffic at the aerodrome while simultaneously attempting to mitigate motion sickness for the passenger by verbally announcing upcoming turns. Investigators also noted that the pilot's approach was lower than normal, which required maintaining higher engine power settings for a longer duration. This higher power setting likely delayed the activation of the landing gear warning horn, which is designed to sound only when power is reduced below a specific threshold.
Findings
- The pilot failed to fully execute the "before landing" checklist, specifically omitting the extension of the landing gear.
- Task saturation and high workload, caused by managing radio communications and passenger comfort, contributed to the oversight.
- The pilot's decision to fly a lower-than-normal approach prevented the timely audible warning from the landing gear horn.
- Inadequate management supervision within the operating company was identified as a potential contributing factor.