History of the Flight
The Lake LA-4, registration G-BOLL, was on a visual approach to Runway 21 at Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man, on 13 August 2000 at 1345 UTC. The flight had originated from Belfast City Airport. The Ronaldsway Tower controller observed that the nose landing gear was not down during very short final and instructed the aircraft to go-around. However, the aircraft had already touched down. It slid across the intersection, over a small grass area, and came to rest on Runway 17, approximately 25 metres south of Runway 08/26.
The Airport Fire Service was deployed, but no fire occurred. The three occupants—one pilot and two passengers—vacated the aircraft via normal means. The pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence, was 31 years old, and had 1,284 total flying hours, including 13 hours on type.
Pilot's Actions
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, he had reset the electric fuel pump to 'off' and inadvertently selected the hydraulic pump off. During pre-landing checks, he did not wait for the usual blue light illumination, which should have illuminated after approximately 30 seconds to indicate that the landing gear was locked down. The pilot's visual inspection perceived that the nose and left main landing gears were down. On touchdown, the right main landing gear partially retracted along with the nosewheel, causing the aircraft to skid to a halt.
Examination and Findings
After the incident, the landing gear cycled normally once the aircraft had been lifted and the hydraulic pump switch was reset. The pilot assessed that the accident was caused by his omission in checking that the landing gear was locked down, after having selected the hydraulic pump off when this was not required. He also commented that viewing the blue light indication required head movement, as it was located low in the cockpit, and that it was difficult to see the light while wearing sunglasses.
The damage was limited to the nose landing gear door, right float, and keel.