The pilot of the retractable landing gear Beech 35 reported that the tower controller had cleared him to land at the airport in Caldwell, N.J., behind another aircraft.
He told investigators he was distracted searching for the aircraft ahead and did not extend the landing gear.
He eventually visually located the traffic and continued the approach.
He did not hear the landing gear warning horn. During the landing, a passenger yelled that the landing gear was still up and the tower controller called for a go-around. He pulled back on the yoke and added power. The airplane aerodynamically stalled, the left wing dropped, hit the ground, and the airplane came to rest in the grass to the left of the runway.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s distraction while looking for traffic, which led to his failure to extend the landing gear before landing, and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a subsequent go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
This June 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.
At least it was at a towered field while using a radio so it all worked out just fine.
Some folks are a time-line waiting for a simple circumstance to demonstrate that they don’t really have their head in the game.