N7943YPiper PA-30 · 1966

Prior to landing during the commercial multi-engine checkride flight, the pilot performed the flight school’s landing checklist as he flew s-turns on the final approach leg to slow for traffic ahead. The pilot reported that “during the unstable approach my attention was divided between obliging the DPE’s (designated pilot examiner) advisements, slower traffic ahead of us, traffic behind, and listening (for a) possibl(e)…go-around (instruction) due to poor spacing.” He stated that he did not see the amber gear-up light illuminate and did not hear the landing gear warning horn. The pilot further reported that during the approach, the DPE advised him to not “reduce the power that much, we’re going to get behind the power curve and sink”, which he heeded. The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.

A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear motor circuit breaker was open. During recovery of the airplane from the runway, a mechanic reset the circuit breaker, after which the landing gear operated normally. Subsequent testing of the landing gear revealed that the landing gear warning horn and the green landing gear down and locked indicator light functioned normally. According to the airplane owner’s handbook, the amber light should flash when power is reduced on one engine with the landing gear up. The landing gear warning horn should sound when power is reduced on both engines below about 12 inches of manifold pressure if the landing gear is not down and locked. Given the pilot’s report of landing with some engine power applied, the power setting may have been above the threshold to activate the landing gear warning horn.

Another pilot reported that a similar event occurred about two months prior to the accident. During an approach, when he moved the landing gear selector to the down position, there was no noise, and the landing gear down and locked indicator light did not illuminate. He performed a go around, and then discovered that the landing gear motor circuit breaker was open. He reset the circuit breaker and lowered the landing gear, which operated normally thereafter.