A Cessna 210M’s wheels-up landing at Broome shows how bad weather and changed plans can distract a pilot from flying safely, according to an ATSB investigation report.
On 23 February 2013, the Cessna was returning to Broome airport with a pilot and four passengers on board. The conditions were windy and wet with thunderstorms and rain moving through the area. This meant the pilot had to alter the flight plan and flight path to avoid the poor weather.
While preparing for landing, the pilot reported selecting the landing gear down as part of his landing checks. A passenger later reported hearing what he believed to be the landing gear being lowered.
The aircraft landed on the runway with its landing gear retracted and skidded about 300 to 350 m on its underbelly.
Shortly before landing the pilot completed his final checks but did not look out the window to visually check that the landing gear was down. He reported, however, that he saw a green light that indicated the landing gear was down.
The aircraft landed on the runway with its landing gear retracted and skidded about 300 to 350 m on its underbelly. The pilot reported that the landing gear warning horn had not activated.
An insurance assessor found that the pilot had not extended the landing gear before landing and noted that the micro switch that activated the landing gear warning horn was set for a lower throttle setting than was used by the pilot. To compensate for the strong crosswind, the pilot operated the aircraft at a slightly higher throttle while coming into land.
An accident investigation report produced by the United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch provides further information on the link between the throttle settings and the activation of the gear warning horn on the Cessna 210.
Read the report: Collapsed landing gear involving Cessna 210M, VH-PBV, at Broome Airport, Western Australia, on 23 February 2013