What happened
On 4 December 2000, a Cessna 310, registered as ZS-EPL, was conducting a private flight near Malelane. The aircraft, operated by Capital Plant Hire, was performing a series of maneuvers at Malelane Aerodrome. Following an initial touch-and-go landing on Runway 27 performed without power, the pilot elected to continue a circuit at 500 feet for another attempt.
During this second approach, the pilot intended to maintain a slight amount of power to observe how the aircraft's nose attitude would be affected upon touchdown. However, during the downwind leg of the circuit, the pilot's attention was diverted.
The investigation
The investigation into the incident focused on the sequence of maneuvers leading up to the touchdown. It was established that while the pilot was focused on managing the aircraft's pitch and power settings for the intended landing, a critical oversight occurred. The investigation confirmed that the pilot failed to move the landing gear lever to the down position before the aircraft reached the runway.
Findings
- The aircraft completed a landing with the landing gear not extended.
- The pilot's attention was distracted during the downwind portion of the flight circuit.
- There were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger on board.