A BE76 PAX; PNF; SAT BY AS HIS FRIEND; THE PF; LANDED GEAR UP AT SET.

Narrative

I WAS ASKED TO BE A PAX ON A FLT IN A TWIN ENG AIRPLANE THAT WAS JUST TO BE A FEW TKOFS AND LNDGS. THE FLT DEPARTED ST CHARLES MUNICIPAL ARPT (3SQ) TO GO TO ST CHARLES COUNTY ARPT (SET) FOR SOME TKOFS AND LNDGS. AFTER DOING 3 OR 4 TKOFS AND LNDGS WITHOUT INCIDENT; WE STARTED ANOTHER PATTERN. IN DOING SO; THERE WAS SOME TFC IN THE AREA THAT WAS NOTED. WHEN TURNING DOWNWIND WE NOTICED A SINGLE ENG ACFT COMING AT US FROM L TO R (W TO E) AT THE SAME ALT. THE PLT TRIED CONTACTING UNKNOWN AIRPLANE GETTING NO RESPONSE. IT SEEMED IF BOTH AIRPLANES STAYED ON SAME PATHS; A CONFLICT WOULD HAPPEN. THIS IMMEDIATELY CONSUMED THE PLT'S ATTN. AFTER CONTINUING DOWNWIND LEG; IT SEEMED THAT THE PLANE WOULD PASS BEHIND WITH NO INCIDENT. WHEN TURNING BASE LEG; THE PLT NOTED A FLOCK OF LARGE BIRDS CLOSE TO THE APCH PATH OF THE RWY WHICH GOT HIS ATTN. UPON TURNING FINAL; THE BIRDS HAD NOT TOTALLY DISSIPATED AS THERE WERE A FEW STRAGGLERS WHICH WAS NOTED BY THE PLT. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE LNDG FLARE. THE LNDG GEAR HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY EXTENDED BY THE PLT. THE ABOVE INCIDENT RESULTED IN A GEAR UP LNDG. FACTORS I BELIEVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS GEAR UP INCIDENT: THE DISTRS ON DOWNWIND; BASE LEG AND FINAL WERE A MAIN FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT. THE SINGLE ENG AIRPLANE THAT WAS A COLLISION HAZARD POSSIBLY MIGHT HAVE SHOOK THE PLT UP. THE INCIDENT WITH THE SINGLE ENG AIRPLANE ALSO TOOK PLACE WHERE A PLT WOULD NORMALLY PUT THE GEAR DOWN (PUT THE PLT OUT OF THE NORMAL ROUTINE). THE BIRDS ON THE BASE LEG AND FINAL ALSO KEPT HIS ATTN ON OTHER THINGS BESIDES THE JOB AT HAND. SECONDARY FACTORS: THE PLT WAS CURRENT BY FAA STANDARDS; BUT MAYBE NOT CURRENT IN TERMS OF BEING COMFORTABLE. THERE WAS A FALSE SECURITY OF HAVING ANOTHER PLT THAT WAS RATED IN THE AIRPLANE CATCHING ANY MISTAKES. THE DISTRS (NOTED ABOVE) ALSO CONSUMED THE PAX (PNF).