During a multi-engine instructional flight, the flight instructor simulated an engine failure at the final approach fix.
The pilot receiving instruction focused on maintaining control of the Piper PA-44-180 and neither the pilot nor the flight instructor verified that the landing gear was extended.
During the landing at the airport in Savoy, Illinois, they realized that the landing gear was still retracted.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage.
A post-accident examination of the landing gear system by a mechanic revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor added there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing and the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision to ensure that the landing gear was extended.
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This October 2023 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.
I’m guessing the PA-44 doesn’t have an automatic gear extension like the arrows had or if was disarmed.
A risk factor during training is that the “gear up” warning may have to be silenced or ignored after it is triggered by a throttle reduction used to simulate an engine failure.
The student wrote he did not feather the prop of the simulated engine out, as he had been instructed.
I remember the time I fired an instructor. Happened to be in the run up area, before takeoff.
On single-engine approaches, the gear extension usually has to be delayed. One safety strategy is a gear warning when the manifold pressure is reduced – that didn’t work. Another is a gear warning when flaps are extended – they didn’t use flaps. Another is calling three green when on final – neither pilot did that. Unfortunately a perfect storm. Maybe a flight school might have enough personnel to station a spotter with a hand-held radio when simulated engine failures are done.
In the Air Force, at the undergraduate pilot training bases, we had spotters with binoculars calling out to the controller “final is gear, flaps,” or “final is gear no flaps, sir.” We student pilots were the spotters. However, landing gear up is definitely possible, even if you’re “good.” There was a U2 that landed gear up. I remember it landed at an “away” base, not the home base, Beale Air Force Base where they had the U2 chase cars (talk about “spotters!”). Beale AFB was a training base for the U2, not that I flew or or know jack about it.
Beale AFB still flies the U-2, as well as a number of T-38s.
I live under the class C for Beale and see both almost daily.
And perhaps the pilot was distracted due to the presence of the instructor. And certainly the instructor should have been paying more attention to the pilot’s performance., that’s why he’s there.
Fixed gear fixes this.
The prelanding checklist is by far the most not conducted checklist….by far. DPE AFG-970.
All I could say is…………….GUMPGUMPGUMP…….
WHY?…..We are human…….
Yup, there are those pilots who have landed gear up, and those that will.
My Cessna is fixed gear.!!