Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the student pilot to complete the before landing checklist. Contributing to the accident was his failure to lower the landing gear before landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was landing at the non-towered airport after a cross country flight, when he made a "short approach", did not use any flaps, and kept an approach speed that was about 30 knots faster than normal. The student pilot said he didn't use his normal checklist procedure and that everything seemed to be going "too fast" when the airplane landed on the asphalt runway with the landing gear retracted and the skin on the belly of the fuselage was ground down to the main keel. There was no injury to the solo student pilot, but substantial damage to the fuselage structure.
Source record
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing at the non-towered airport after a cross country flight. He stated that he initiated a "short approach", did not use any flaps, and kept an approach speed that was about 30 knots faster than normal. The student pilot said that he did not use his normal checklist procedure and that everything seemed to be going "too fast." The airplane landed on the asphalt runway with the landing gear retracted and the skin on the belly of the fuselage was ground down to the main keel. There was no injury to the solo student pilot, but substantial damage to the fuselage structure.