What happened
On 26 August 2001, a Cessna 172RG, registration ZS-LLY, was conducting a private flight from Grand Central Aerodrome to Rustenburg Aerodrome. During the arrival phase, the pilot was communicating via radio with another aircraft that was performing circuit and landing practice. The pilot positioned the aircraft behind the other plane on the downwind leg of the circuit.
As the flight progressed through the downwind, base, and final approach legs, the pilot performed the standard landing checklists. However, as the aircraft touched down on Runway 34, the propeller made contact with the runway surface. The impact occurred because the landing gear had not been deployed. Following the incident, both occupants of the aircraft were able to exit the cockpit without sustaining any injuries.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the runway contact. The investigation established that the pilot had completed the necessary approach checks, which specifically include verifying that the landing gear is down and locked. Despite this, the gear remained retracted during the landing.
Investigators also looked into the aircraft's warning systems. It was determined that the aircraft's internal systems failed to provide an audio warning regarding the unsafe gear configuration or a stall. Furthermore, the pilot could not confirm whether the landing gear indication lights had shown a green (safe) status prior to the accident.