What happened
On May 6, 2018, a Fournier RF5-AJ1, registration EC-GZJ, departed from Son Bonet aerodrome in Mallorca for a local flight. During the flight, the pilot experienced frequent activation of the stall warning alarm. The pilot attributed these warnings to the aircraft's maneuvers while utilizing thermals for ascent, and did not investigate the cause of the recurring alerts.
During the landing phase at 11:10 local time, the aircraft touched down on runway 05 without the landing gear being extended. The aircraft slid approximately 50 to 60 meters along the runway before coming to a halt in the first third of the runway, before the S3 intersection. The impact caused damage to the propeller, though the lower fuselage remained largely intact due to the aircraft's integrated landing skids. The pilot and the passenger, who was also a pilot, were both uninjured.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's experience, the aircraft's technical state, and the cockpit procedures. The pilot, a professional with over 20,000 flight hours, had relatively limited experience with this specific aircraft, having flown it only 10 times for a total of 4.5 hours.
Investigators reviewed the aircraft's warning systems, noting that the cockpit was equipped with both a visual indicator for the gear being down and locked, and an acoustic alert that triggers if the gear is not extended and locked when power is reduced. The investigation also reviewed the checklists provided by the aircraft owners, which included specific steps for both gear retraction during climb and gear extension during approach.
Findings
- The pilot failed to adhere to the takeoff and climb checklists, which led to the gear being retracted rather than extended during the approach.
- The pilot did not identify the reason for the repeated stall warnings during the flight.
- The pilot failed to monitor the visual landing gear indicator during the approach.
- The pilot did not react to the acoustic landing gear warning after reducing power for landing.
- The aircraft's landing skids prevented more significant damage to the fuselage during the gear-up touchdown.