A plane crash-landed after the 'distracted' pilot forgot to lower the landing gear, according to a new report.
At approximately 3,000 feet in the climb after take-off from Enstone Airfield, near Chipping Norton, the nose cowling covering the engine of the Piper PA-28R-200-2 G-BBDE opened and began flapping in the airflow.
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The pilot returned to the departure airfield but forgot to lower the landing gear before the aircraft touched down on the runway.
"The pilot considered that he had been distracted by the loose cowling and that this contributed to him not lowering the landing gear", said the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the incident which happened on August 7.
It was classified as being ‘record only’ meaning it is one that if investigated fully has little likelihood of identifying new safety lessons that will advance aviation safety.
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