19990816012299A

Acft landed gear up. (.19) on August 16, 1999, at 1733 central daylight time, a swearingen SA-227-AC multi-engine airplane, N2671V, was substantially damaged when it landed gear-up at the San Antonio International Airport, San Antonio, Texas. The airline transport rated instructor pilot and the instrument-rated commercial pilot, who was receiving instruction, were not injured. The airplane was registered to general interquip inc., of upland, California, and operated by merlin express of San Antonio, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 instructional flight and a company VFR flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from the San Antonio International Airport at 1530. According to the instructor pilot and the pilot receiving instruction (student), the student was undergoing first officer training for the swearingen SA-227-AC. The pilots stated that they were completing the last approach and landing for the flight. The instructor told the student to execute "a no flap landing due to a simulated hydraulic pump failure." The student pilot maneuvered the airplane to intercept the ILS (instrument landing sy stem) 12R approach at the San Antonio International Airport. The student established the airplane on the approach and called for the "emergency gear extension checklist." The instructor stated that the gear could not be extended until landing was assured. The landing gear was not extended. The student continued flying the approach and retarded the power levers to idle to reduce the airspeed, and the gear warning horn sounded. The instructor placed his right hand on the gear extension lever. As the airplane reached the target airspeed, the student moved the power levers forward to increase power, and the gear warning horn ceased. The instructor reported that "because [the student] had already called for the checklist once before, in a split second thought process, I had mistakenly thought it had been completed." He removed his hand from the gear lever without extending the gear. Subsequently, the airplane landed on the runway gear-up, traveled 1,827.7 feet, and came to rest upright on the runway, on a measured magnetic heading of 124 degrees. Examination of the airplane revealed that the main spar was structurally damaged and a three foot by two inch section of the bottom of the fuselage was damaged. The vertical fin was buckled. The engine firewall, for the left engine, was damaged. Additionally, the propeller blades on the left and right engines were curled. (-23) on a training flight the crew landed the aircraft with the gear up.