The airplane was landed gear-up at about 0850 Mountain time. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. However, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot subsequently reported he was initially inbound for landing on Runway 32, which was changed to Runway 35. He stated he felt “rushed” by ATC due to aircraft sequencing while he set the flaps, lowered the landing gear and set the propellers in no certain sequence. The pilot added that he did not verify their positions prior to landing. Subsequently, the aircraft landed gear-up.
November 12, 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah, Piper PA-31-350
The airplane was landed gear-up at about 0850 Mountain time. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. However, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot subsequently reported he was initially inbound for landing on Runway 32, which was changed to Runway 35. He stated he felt "rushed" by ATC due to aircraft sequencing while he set the flaps, lowered the landing gear and set the propellers in no certain sequence. The pilot added that he did not verify their positions prior to landing. Subsequently, the aircraft landed gear-up.
Key Takeaways:
- A commercial pilot performed a gear-up landing, causing substantial damage to the aircraft, though the sole occupant was uninjured.
- The pilot reported feeling "rushed" by Air Traffic Control (ATC) during a runway change, which disrupted his normal pre-landing sequence.
- Consequently, the pilot failed to set pre-landing controls (flaps, gear, propellers) in sequence and did not verify the landing gear's position before landing.
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