The pilot in the retractable landing gear-equipped Piper PA28 reported that during a straight-in approach to the Hutchinson, Kansas airport, the airplane’s approach angle was too high.
He recalled that he was distracted by an increase in aircraft operating in the area, and that he forgot to extend the airplane’s landing gear.
The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted and slid off the right side of the runway before it came to rest.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
A new low-time pilot (no established habits and SOPs) was overcome with distractions; traffic, pax, out of position (high and switching runways). So many warnings here that a go-around was needed!
This April 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
So unfortunate. Leads me to believe that possibly, the landing sequence for this pilot normally started on the downwind abeam the numbers. Maybe with a straight-in and no visual reference point (the numbers) to trigger the gear down handle, it happened. Using numerous actions which would fit for all approaches, I hope I will never have this happen: checklist, no flying below TPA without gear out (i.e. TPA is another trigger), verifying feel of the extension and thump, and extra drag is felt with appropriate power setting needed to offset the drag, green light(s), mirror(s), indicator (Mooney), and loud verbal reminder to recheck the gear handle and light(s) on final. Hopefully at least one of these checks would help avoid a gear up. There were no comments in the pilot report about either the gear up warning horn or if the airplane had the automatic gear extension system.