Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear due to his distraction with the flaps, his misinterpretation of the landing gear warning horn, and his failure to verify that the landing gear were down, which resulted in a landing with the gear retracted.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot had departed on the business flight but decided to return to the airport to wait for the weather to improve. He indicated that, on approach, he lowered the flaps to 15° to slow the airplane to within "gear down speed." The pilot noticed that the flaps continued past 15°, and he took his hand off the landing gear lever and raised the flaps back up to the fully retracted position. The pilot overshot the runway on the turn to final. As he attempted to align the airplane with the runway centerline, he heard a warning horn, which he thought was the stall warning horn. He then landed on the runway with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage frame and stringers. After the accident, the pilot stated he had mistaken the gear-up warning horn for the stall warning horn. The pilot also said he did not visually check the landing gear indicator lights or look at the mirrors to verify the landing gear was down.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 30, 2016, about 0930 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper PA-31 airplane, N192CS, landed with its gear retracted at Skylark Field Airport (KILE), Killeen, Texas. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage frame and stringers. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to Bunkie Bird, LLC and was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, the weather reported on the automated terminal information system stated that there were 1,200 ft ceilings. However, when he took off he noticed "considerable weather" along his intended route of flight . He contacted approach control and stated that he wanted to return to his departure airport to "wait out the weather." On approach, the pilot lowered the flaps to 15° to slow the airplane to within "gear down speed." He noticed that the flaps continued past 15° and he took his hand off the landing gear lever and raised the flaps back up to the fully retracted position. The pilot had overshot the runway on his turn to final. As he attempted to align the airplane with the runway centerline he heard a warning horn and thought it was the stall warning horn. He then landed on the runway with the landing gear retracted. After the accident, the pilot stated he had mistaken the gear up warning horn for the stall warning horn. The pilot also said he did not visually check the landing gear indicator lights or look at the mirrors to verify the landing gear was down.