Accident Overview
A checkride intended to reassess a pilot's competency also involved a maintenance test for aileron rigging. The flight was conducted with the pilot, a company check airman, and an FAA inspector on board. The first maneuver scheduled was a no-flap landing.
Flight Sequence
During the traffic pattern, the pilot experienced difficulty managing the aircraft, maintaining airspeeds that were too slow and making constant power adjustments. The pilot did not call for the before-landing checklist. As the aircraft approached the runway, the check pilot reported that the landing gear warning horn activated briefly, but the pilot added power, which silenced the horn. The FAA inspector, seated in a passenger seat for takeoff and landing, was unaware that the landing gear was not extended. The aircraft touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the probable cause was the pilot-in-command's failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown. Contributing factors included pressure induced by the checkride and inadequate supervision by the check pilot.