Accident Summary
On 29 June 2010 at 1613 UTC, a Piper PA-28R-201 Cherokee Arrow III, registration G-WAMS, sustained damage during a landing at Stapleford Airfield, Essex. The aircraft was conducting a training skills test with two crew members—an examiner and a candidate—and no passengers. No injuries were reported. Damage occurred to the underside of the fuselage, propeller, and the engine was shock loaded.
Sequence of Events
The skills test involved upper air work, during which a stall recovery was performed with the aircraft in a clean configuration and the landing gear retracted. The landing gear audio warning functioned normally when the throttle was closed. The final element of the test required the candidate to demonstrate a flapless landing on Runway 22L. Weather conditions were good with a light southwesterly surface wind and CAVOK.
The aircraft joined a left base leg, and the Fuel, Radio, Engine, Direction Indicator, and Altimeter (FREDA) checks were performed. A slightly steeper than normal approach was made with a low power setting and an indicated airspeed of 80 kt. The aircraft was flared at the normal height and subsequently sank onto the runway with the landing gear still in the retracted position. Neither pilot heard the landing gear audio warning.
Examination Findings
A post-accident function check of the landing gear warning system revealed it to be working normally. The examiner concluded that the normal checks of the landing gear during the initial and final approach phases had not been performed.