What happened
On October 19, 2004, at approximately 07:50 UTC, a private PIPER PA-60-602P, registration EC-HRJ, was performing a non-commercial flight from Pamplona to Sabadell. The flight proceeded normally until the landing phase at Sabadell Airport. Upon touchdown on runway 31, the aircraft's landing gear was in the retracted position. The aircraft traveled 398 meters from the initial contact with the runway until it came to a complete stop. The pilot, who was uninjured, was able to exit the aircraft on his own. The incident resulted in minor damage to the propellers and the lower portion of the fuselage, particularly on the left side.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the configuration of the aircraft's landing gear and the cockpit controls. Upon inspection of the flight deck, the landing gear lever was found in the DOWN position, and the flap lever was set to FULL flaps. Post-incident functional tests were conducted using an auxiliary power unit (APU) to pressurize the hydraulic system. These tests confirmed that the landing gear system was functioning correctly, including the extension and retraction cycles and the operation of the cockpit warning lights. The only anomaly noted was that the green indication light for the nose gear failed to illuminate during a simulated loss of hydraulic pressure, even though the gear extended properly.
Witnesses observed that when the aircraft was being lifted by a crane to be moved from the runway, the landing gear descended by gravity, confirming the gear was not locked in the UP position during the landing.
Findings
- The pilot intended to retract the flaps during the approach but likely accidentally moved the landing gear lever instead.
- The pilot reported that while maintaining separation from a slower aircraft ahead, he moved a lever without visually verifying which control he was manipulating.
- The pilot's decision to reduce engine power near the ground may have triggered the low-power/gear-not-down alarm, potentially leading to an instinctive, erroneous movement of the gear lever.
- The landing gear system was mechanically and hydraulically sound at the time of the incident.