What happened
On 17 July 2001, a Cessna 210, registered as ZS-EES, was involved in a landing incident at Virginia aerodrome. The aircraft, operated by Virginia Flight School, was being used for circuit and landing training. During the approach to Runway 23, the pilot completed the landing with the landing gear in the retracted position.
The investigation
An investigation into the event established that the aircraft was operating under favorable meteorological conditions, characterized by clear weather with slight haze and visibility of approximately 5,000 meters. The crew consisted of a single occupant, a student pilot with 48 total flying hours. The investigation focused on the sequence of actions taken during the landing pattern and the pilot's management of cockpit tasks.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary reason for the incident was that the pilot failed to lower the landing gear prior to touchdown. This error was attributed to the pilot being preoccupied with radio communications and managing various tasks during the circuit, which led to the omission of the gear extension sequence.