What happened
On 18 September 2000, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registration G-BPZM, was conducting a training flight at Exeter Airport. The flight, consisting of an instructor and a student pilot, was performing a series of touch-and-go landings on Runway 26. After successfully completing three landings, the crew encountered a change in runway occupancy due to another aircraft being cleared to backtrack. To accommodate this, the crew decided to extend the downwind leg and perform a flapless approach for a subsequent touch-and-go once the runway was clear.
During the approach, the preceding aircraft was cleared for takeoff. The instructor notified Air Traffic Control that they would perform a go-around. However, as the aircraft turned onto final approach, the instructor requested and received clearance for a touch-and-go. While the aircraft performed a normal flare, it settled onto the runway with the landing gear in the retracted position. The resulting skid caused superficial damage to the propeller and the underside of the fuselage. No injuries were sustained by the two crew members, and the airport rescue services attended the scene to assist with emergency shutdown procedures.
The investigation
The investigation examined the operational procedures of the training organization, which had recently added the Piper PA-28RT-201 to its fleet. It was discovered that the organization had implemented a procedure to harmonize operations across different aircraft types, such as the Beechcraft Duchess. This procedure involved delaying the lowering of the landing gear until the base leg of the approach. This practice was influenced by training methods used on other aircraft where gear was not lowered until a landing was certain.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.
- The instructor had become distracted by the presence of other traffic on the airfield.
- A sense of overconfidence in the student pilot's competence contributed to the oversight.
- The training organization's procedure of delaying gear extension until the base leg was identified as a contributing factor.
Safety action
Following the incident, the operator revised its landing procedures. The current requirement mandates that the landing gear must be lowered at the beginning of the downwind leg.