What happened
Shortly after departing on its flight, the pilot of the aircraft reported that the left engine began surging. During this period, the aircraft also encountered intermittent electrical surges that caused the radios, cabin lights, and instrument panel lights to flicker on and off. Due to these complications, the pilot decided to divert the flight to an alternate airport.
Before reaching the runway, the pilot opted not to shut down the left engine because it was still producing some usable power. The pilot moved the gear selection handle to the down position and observed three green lights, indicating that the landing gear was down and locked. As the aircraft approached touchdown, the power levers were moved to flight idle, and the pilot noted that the gear warning horn did not activate.
Despite the cockpit indications, the aircraft completed its landing with the gear in the up position. The impact caused substantial damage to the gear doors, though the landing gear itself remained undamaged.
Findings
An investigation of the aircraft following the incident revealed that the electrical system and the landing gear were functioning normally. The emergency extension mechanism for the landing gear was found to be operational, and the gear indication system provided a safe indication when the gear was extended during the post-accident inspection. The primary issue involved the discrepancy between the cockpit gear-down indications and the actual state of the landing gear during touchdown.