NTSB Factual Report

The pilot in the retractable landing gear-equipped airplane reported that during the cross-country flight, the auto-pilot failed and he struggled to use the sectional charts. Additionally, heat and wind made the flight uncomfortable, and smoke from wildland fires decreased visibility to about 5 statute miles so he decided to land.

Upon arrival at the airport he decided to leave the landing gear retracted as he searched for the wind sock on the airport. He did not locate the wind sock and attempted to contact the airport on the airport's Unicom, but later discovered that he had used an incorrect frequency.

He decided to land on runway 5, which he later identified was the incorrect runway given the wind direction.

He recalled that he had completed some variation of the GUMPS checklist but forgot to extend the landing gear and landed with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the longerons and bulkheads.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear during landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's distraction and his failure to complete the appropriate checklist before landing.