Incident Overview
On 31 May 2018, a Diamond DA42 aircraft, registration EC-KQU, operated by Centro de Formación Aeronáutico Aerofan and owned by Senoiva 2002, was conducting a local flight from Cuatro Vientos Airport (Madrid) to Ocaña Aerodrome (Toledo). The purpose of the flight was to renew the pilot's multi-engine piston (MEP) and instrument rating (IR). On board were an examiner and a pilot candidate.
Sequence of Events
After departing Cuatro Vientos, the crew proceeded to Ocaña to perform touch-and-go landings with various flap configurations. During the third and final landing, the examiner instructed the candidate to land without flaps. Neither crew member verified that the landing gear was extended. Consequently, the aircraft touched down with the gear retracted. The airplane skidded approximately 494 meters along the runway before coming to a stop.
Damage and Injuries
The propellers and the lower fuselage surface were damaged. Both pilots were uninjured.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the incident was caused by the crew's failure to adhere to procedures by not deploying the landing gear. Contributing factors included the examiner's overconfidence in the candidate's skills—the candidate had extensive military aviation experience—and the practice of executing checklist items from memory without physically verifying their completion.