What happened
During an approach to runway 25 at the Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier airport, the crew of a SA226-TC was conducting a simulated instrument approach. To simulate instrument conditions, the pilot placed a map against the co-pilot's windscreen to obstruct the view of the outside environment. While the aircraft was descending from 10,000 feet, the crew was instructed by air traffic control to maintain a speed of at least 180 knots until reaching the final approach fix.
As the aircraft progressed past the final approach fix, the co-pilot began reducing speed to approximately 140 knots and requested a flap setting of 2. Due to the increased workload of the simulated approach, the aircraft's profile became unstable. By the time the aircraft reached the runway threshold, it was approximately 500 feet above the ground and traveling at a high rate of speed. The pilot took control to attempt a landing, but the aircraft overshot the runway. The propellers first made contact with the surface approximately 4,590 feet from the threshold, and the aircraft eventually came to a stop 6,770 feet from the threshold. A fire ignited near the right engine following the impact. Both the pilot and the co-pilot exited the aircraft uninjured.
Findings
Investigation into the incident revealed that the landing gear selector was in the up position during the landing. The crew failed to verify the landing gear status during their before-landing checklists. The pilot believed the gear was down because he had confirmed the landing lights were active, a habit he used to confirm gear extension. The co-pilot assumed the checks had been completed as the aircraft had passed the non-directional beacon.
Crucially, the landing gear warning horn failed to activate due to a faulty diode within the system. Although the warning system functioned correctly during training one week prior, the malfunction prevented the crew from being alerted to the retracted gear during the approach.