What happened
On 14 September 2009, a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II, registration G-BEAG, was conducting an instrument rating training flight at Gloucestershire Airport. The training session involved a simulated engine-out procedure, where the student pilot was required to perform a low approach and go-around, followed by a circuit including a touch-and-go landing. To replicate an engine failure, one engine was kept at a throttled-back setting.
During the transition to the base leg, the instructor performed checks to verify that the mixtures were rich, the propeller levers were fully forward, and the landing gear indicators showed 'three greens'. As the aircraft proceeded with the touch-and-go, the landing gear was not deployed. Upon flaring for the landing, the propellers struck the runway surface. The aircraft subsequently settled onto its belly and came to a halt on the runway centerline. There were no injuries to the two crew members or the single passenger on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on why the landing gear remained retracted despite the instructor's pre-landing checks. The student pilot noted that they had completed the downwind checks. However, the instructor noted that sunlight patches within the cockpit may have created a visual illusion, making the landing gear indication lights appear illuminated when they were actually unlit. The investigation also noted that the aircraft sustained damage to its underside and engines, with the propellers suffering shock-loading.