20241005013659I

DESCRIPTION:

ON OCTOBER 5, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 1100 CDT AN EXPERIMENTAL (YEAR-MAKE: 2015 C F M AIR S R L / MODEL: DARDO) AS AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH THE GEAR IN THE UP POSITION ON RUNWAY 13 AT THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN CAPITAL (SPI) AIRPORT IN SPRINGFIELD, IL. THE SPRINGFIELD, IL FSDO WAS NOTIFIED THE SAME DAY OF THE ACCIDENT BY THE REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER (ROC). ON MONDAY TWO AVIATION INSPECTORS DROVE TO THE LOCATION WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING STORED IN A HANGAR ON THE SPI FIELD. AN INVESTIGATION BEGAN IMMEDIATELY UPON ARRIVAL AND PICTURES WERE TAKEN OF THE DAMAGE. VERY MINIMAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED, AND PICTURES WERE TAKEN OF EACH AREA THAT SHOWED DAMAGE. NO EVIDENCE OF AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION WAS DETERMINED NOR DID THE PILOT STATE THAT HE HAD ANY ENGINE ANOMALIES PRIOR TO LANDING.

THE ENGINE WAS A ROTAX (914UL2-01) WITH 115-HORSEPOWER AT 5,800 REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM) WITH A 5-MINUTE TIME LIMIT. IT HAS A SUSTAINED POWER OF 100-HORSEPOWER AT 5,500 RPM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED, AND THE GEAR WAS EXTENDED AND ABLE TO BE TOWED TO THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT THE SPI AIRPORT. THE METAL FOOTSTEPS THAT EXTENDED DOWN IN FRONT OF THE WING WERE BEND BACK UNDER THE MAIN WING. THE FLAPS WERE EXTENDED AND THE INNER MOST CORNER SHOWED DAMAGE, WORN DOWN BY SCRAPING THE CEMENT CONSISTENT WITH A TOUCHDOWN WITH THE GEAR UP. THE TAIL TIE DOWN ALSO SHOWED SIMILAR WEAR. THE 3-BLADED PROPELLER SHOWED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. DUE TO THE COMPOSITE BLADES, ALL THREE BLADES WERE BROKEN NEARLY IN HALF DUE TO IMPACT OF THE RUNWAY CONSISTENT WITH A COMPOSITE PROP STRIKING A HARD SURFACE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING.

THE INSPECTOR VERIFIED THE PILOT’S CURRENCY THROUGH OBTAINING HIS PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE (FRONT/BACK), MEDICAL AND LAST BIANNUAL FLIGHT REVIEW INDICATING THE PILOT WAS CURRENT. THE INSPECTOR ALSO REVIEWED THROUGH THE FAA’S SAFETY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS SYSTEM (SPAS) FOR ANY OTHER INCIDENTS OF THIS NATURE AND FOUND THE PILOT HADN’T HAD ANY OTHER GEAR UP LANDINGS ON HIS RECORD.

CAUSAL/CONTRIBUTING FACTORS:

THE PILOT WAS INTERVIEWED BY BOTH INSPECTORS VIA A TELEPHONE CALL AFTER THE AIRCRAFT INSPECTION. THE PILOT WAS ASKED TO PROVIDE A PILOT STATEMENT VIA EMAIL. THE PILOT INITIALLY STATED THAT HE ‘DID NOT KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED. HE JUST FORGOT TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN’. PILOT TOTAL TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 1350 HOURS 90 OF WHICH IS IN A RETRACTABLE GEAR AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY WARNING SYSTEM PROVIDED TO HELP ALERT THE PILOT PRIOR TO A GEAR UP LANDING OTHER THAN INDICATING OR VIEWING 3 GREEN LIGHTS CONFIRMING GEAR IS DOWN AND LOCKED. PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT USED TO LANDING AT TOWERED AIRPORTS. HIS NORMAL PROCEDURE IS TO FINISH THE CHECKLIST AND CONFIRM GEAR IS DOWN ON THE DOWNWIND. WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS TO ‘REPORT A RIGHT BASE FOR RUNWAY 13’ CAUSE HIM TO GET OFF HIS NORMAL ROUTINE.

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS (RCA):

LOW TIME IN A RETRACTABLE (COMPLEX) GEAR AIRCRAFT WITH 22 HOURS IN MAKE AND MODEL. UNFAMILIARITY OPERATING IN CLASS C AIRSPACE AND GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE NOT ROUTINE FOR THE PILOT TO ENTER A BASE LEG FOR RUNWAY 13 THAT THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE ANY PERSONAL PROCEDURES IN PLACE TO HANDLE THIS ENTRY. THE PILOT WAS QUICKLY OVERWHELMED AND DID NOT VERIFY THE GEAR WAS DOWN AS HE WAS USED TO FLYING AIRCRAFT THAT DID NOT HAVE A RETRACTABLE GEAR.

ATC ACTIONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE EVENT:

NONE

SYSTEMIC CORRECTIVE ACTION:

THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE AT THIS TIME AND THE INSPECTOR BELIEVES THAT THIS IS A ONE-OFF INCIDENT THAT WITH SOME COUNSELING WILL BRING THE PILOT BACK INTO COMPLIANCE.

ACTIONS TAKEN TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND PREVENT RECURRENCE:

PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS CHANGING HIS PROCESS TO CONFIRM AND FINISH THE CHECKLIST ON FINAL INSTEAD OF ON THE DOWNWIND TO HELP HIM TO NEVER FORGET THE GEAR AGAIN. ALSO, ADDING A BASE-LEG CALL OUT TO ‘CHECK GEAR’. THE INSPECTOR DID PROVIDE COUNSELING WITH THE PILOT WITH TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES FOR REMEMBERING TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN IN THE FUTURE.