What happened
On 4 May 2000, a YAK-50, registration RA44541, was performing a private flight at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The pilot, who had recently purchased the aircraft, was conducting his first landing in the type on the airfield's grass Runway 07.
During the approach and subsequent touchdown, the landing gear was not deployed. As a result, the aircraft made contact with the ground on its belly, causing damage to the propeller and the underside of the airframe. There were no injuries to the pilot, and no passengers were on board at the time of the incident.
The investigation
Investigators reviewed the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. The examination focused on the sequence of events leading to the touchdown on the grass runway. The investigation established that the pilot possessed an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence and significant flying experience, totaling 6,800 hours, though he had less than one hour of experience on this specific aircraft type. The investigation confirmed that the primary reason for the gear-up landing was a failure to select the landing gear down position before the aircraft reached the runway.