What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On March 25, 2021 at approximately 3:20 pm eastern daylight time (EDT), N176CM, a PA-44-180 aircraft, registered to and operated by part 141 pilot school privacy data omitted, received minor damage after an attempted landing with landing gear retracted while landing on runway 23R at the Battle Creek executive airport (btl) in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. The flight instructor and student aboard the aircraft were not injured. The flight originated from the btl airport.
According to the instructor, he and his student were completing a lesson involving simulated engine failure followed by an asymmetric powered approach and landing. The crew entered the traffic pattern after identifying traffic they were following. As the aircraft entered
The round out and flare, they both heard a scraping sound. The flight instructor took control and initiated a go‐around. After contacting the pilot school?s dispatch by radio, the crew decided to return for normal landing on runway 23L. The landing was uneventful.
Post-landing inspection revealed damage to the tail skid and entry step consistent with runway contact on the attempted gear-up landing. Both propellers revealed prop strike damage with the tips bent.
The flight instructor stated he and his student failed to lower the landing gear as part of their pre-landing checklist. Contributing to the error was the conditioning of the crew to disregard gear warning annunciators due to an entire lesson of asymmetric operations with continuous gear warnings throughout. The instructor stated he was not aware the aircraft had experienced a prop strike until post-landing.
No mechanical anomalies were reported with the gear or gear warning system. The flight instructor stated the gear warning had been working properly earlier in the flight but could not specifically recall noticing it on the landing in question.
Visual meteorological conditions and light winds prevailed at the time of the accident. The weather report at Battle Creek executive airport (btl) at 2053Z was: wind calm, visibility 10 statute miles, skies clear, temperature 15, dew point 05, and altimeter 2986.
As the FAA filed it
ON MARCH 25, 2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:20 PM EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (EDT), N176CM, A PA-44-180 AIRCRAFT, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY PART 141 PILOT SCHOOL ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AFTER AN ATTEMPTED LANDING WITH LANDING GEAR RETRACTED WHILE LANDING ON RUNWAY 23R AT THE BATTLE CREEK EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (BTL) IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.
THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE BTL AIRPORT.
ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTOR, HE AND HIS STUDENT WERE COMPLETING A LESSON INVOLVING SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE FOLLOWED BY AN ASYMMETRIC POWERED APPROACH AND LANDING. THE CREW ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AFTER IDENTIFYING TRAFFIC THEY WERE FOLLOWING. AS THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED
THE ROUND OUT AND FLARE, THEY BOTH HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL AND INITIATED A GO‐AROUND. AFTER CONTACTING THE PILOT SCHOOL?S DISPATCH BY RADIO, THE CREW DECIDED TO RETURN FOR NORMAL LANDING ON RUNWAY 23L. THE LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL.
POST-LANDING INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE TAIL SKID AND ENTRY STEP CONSISTENT WITH RUNWAY CONTACT ON THE ATTEMPTED GEAR-UP LANDING. BOTH PROPELLERS REVEALED PROP STRIKE DAMAGE WITH THE TIPS BENT.
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED HE AND HIS STUDENT FAILED TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR AS PART OF THEIR PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ERROR WAS THE CONDITIONING OF THE CREW TO DISREGARD GEAR WARNING ANNUNCIATORS DUE TO AN ENTIRE LESSON OF ASYMMETRIC OPERATIONS WITH CONTINUOUS GEAR WARNINGS THROUGHOUT. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED HE WAS NOT AWARE THE AIRCRAFT HAD EXPERIENCED A PROP STRIKE UNTIL POST-LANDING.
NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WERE REPORTED WITH THE GEAR OR GEAR WARNING SYSTEM. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED THE GEAR WARNING HAD BEEN WORKING PROPERLY EARLIER IN THE FLIGHT BUT COULD NOT SPECIFICALLY RECALL NOTICING IT ON THE LANDING IN QUESTION.
VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE WEATHER REPORT AT BATTLE CREEK EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (BTL) AT 2053Z WAS: WIND CALM, VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES, SKIES CLEAR, TEMPERATURE 15, DEW POINT 05, AND ALTIMETER 2986.