An aeroplane was damaged when it attempted to touch down at Exeter Airport with its landing gear still up, part of it colliding with the runway before its pilots managed to avert disaster.

The flight in March this year, part of pilot training usually undertaken in a simulator, had only been given 'one-off' approval because coronavirus restrictions had led to a lack of availability.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the incident found the likely cause to be faulty landing gear which had failed to extend.

An airfield operations vehicle and a fellow pilot had spotted the 1977-built Beechcraft Super King Air 200 coming into land without its landing gear down but did not have time to raise the alarm before it collided with the runway.

Nobody was injured and the pilots of the plane, owned by Fly Wales, acted quickly enough to ascend again. They managed to lower the wheels using an emergency mechanism before coming in to land safely with firefighters and other emergency crews awaiting their arrival.

The AAIB report praised the pilots for their quick response but also highlighted the fact the controller had not made a visual check of the landing gear before take off at Bristol Airport because of "other activity requiring his attention at the time".

The flight was part of refresher training for a pilot who had recently re-joined the aircraft operator's company.

The operator's normal policy would be to undertake such training in a simulator, the AAIB report states.

It added: "Due to COVID-19 restrictions adversely impacting simulator availability, and contrary to the operator’s normal policy, the training was conducted in the aircraft. The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) had issued a ‘one-off flight approval’ for the event."

The trainee was the handling pilot for the flight, while the only other person on board was the 59-year-old commander, who had around 8,500 hours of flying experience.

FlyWales' pictured G-FLYW at Belfast City Airport in November 2017

The plan was to complete a single-engine landing before returning to Bristol and both pilots said they recalled the landing gear appearing to be locked down before attempting to touch down.

Just before the plane touched down, the driver of an airfield operations vehicle noticed the problem. He attempted to alert air traffic control using his UHF radio but it came in to land before he could do so.

The pilot of another aircraft conducting pre-takeoff checks also spotted it too late to alert anyone.

The report said: "Both pilots heard a loud metallic noise" and eyewitnesses reported the plane's "striking the runway".

A 'go-around' was immediately initiated and the pilots were able to ensure the aircraft climbed away from the runway.

While back in the air they tried again to lower the landing gear but found it did not extend. They eventually managed to extend it using an emergency undercarriage lowering mechanism.

The pilots then flew past the control tower for a visual check from air traffic control before making a second, successful, attempt to land.

The AAIB report says communication issues led to confusion, as the pilots did not formally declare an emergency and air traffic control staff, unaware of the potential damage to the aircraft's engines, had simply expected it to head back to Bristol, where it had been due to return after the planned landing at Exeter Airport.

Propeller marks were left on the runway following the incident

When air traffic controllers realised the pilots intended to land at Exeter they initiated the airport's "full emergency" procedures, making the airfield fire service immediately available and calling in local authority emergency services.

Once all emergency crews were in position, the pilots carried out an "uneventful landing", the report confirmed.

Checks of the runway after the incident showed signs the propeller had struck the ground, as well as a broken light.

The aircraft suffered propeller damage, minor rear fuselage damage and the engines shock-loaded, the report added.

A post-incident investigation by the air traffic control unit found that: "The quick response by the pilots to the sound of the propellers striking the runway enabled them to fly away, thus avoiding further damage to the aircraft."

A broken light was also recovered from the runway at Exeter Airport

It added that "Post-accident engineering diagnosis confirmed a fault in the undercarriage electrical control system that prevented the landing gear from lowering when selected down."

Following the accident, which happened in good weather at 11.41am on March 20, the CAA said it would review whether its process for one-off flight approvals should include a wider set of criteria.