Why the B-1 landed gear up...

Thanks for the summary report, it almost presents even more
questions.



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t...
| 9/18/2006 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Pilot
error caused a
| B-1 Lancer to crash while landing on the runway at a
forward-deployed
| location May 8, 2006, according to an aircraft accident
investigation report
| released here Sept. 18. The co-pilot suffered a minor
back injury and the
| other three crew members were not injured. Damage
totaled approximately
| $7.9 million for the aircraft and the damage to the runway
totaled
| approximately $14,025. The aircraft is assigned to the 9th
Expeditionary
| Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas.
Investigators
| concluded the cause of the mishap was both pilots' failure
to lower the
| landing gear during the aircraft's approach and landing.
Contributing
| factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear
were the
| co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to
complete a long
| mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings
and the
| descent/before landing checklist, and the co-pilot's false
belief the pilot
| had lowered the landing gear. According to the report,
the pilot
| unexpectedly turned over aircraft control to the co-pilot
on the final
| approach. The pilot reported to the air traffic control
tower that the
| landing gear was down despite the fact that the
descent/before landing
| checklist was never completed and the landing gear was
never lowered. The
| red warning light in the gear handle, indicating all
landing gear was not
| down and locked, was illuminated for more than four
minutes during the
| approach. Additionally, at the time the aircraft landed,
the three green
| position lights, which illuminate after the landing gear
has locked in the
| down position, were not illuminated. (Courtesy of Air
Combat Command News
| Service)