This is the terrifying moment a light aircraft was seen touching down on the tarmac without its landing gear.

Footage shows the small plane heading towards the runway, its wheels not deployed and its belly touching the ground, which substantially damaged the fuselage.

The incident happened on February 11 last year at Ak-Chin Regional Airport in Maricopa, Arizona.

Authorities released an investigation confirming that the Beechcraft A35 Bonanza, N619B, was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

An incident report from the Aviation Safety Network said: 'The pilot stated that she put the landing gear switch in the down position when the aeroplane was midfield on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern and lowered the flaps on the base turn. The pilot also stated that she did not look at the gear position indicator before landing.'

The extent of the damage suggested that the landing gear remained fully retracted during the landing. An inspection of the landing gear system revealed it was functioning normally.

Officials confirmed the pilot and two passengers were not injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report on November 26, identifying the probable cause as the pilot's failure to properly configure and verify the position of the landing gear before touchdown, resulting in a gear-up incident.

A belly landing, which occurs when an aircraft touches down without its landing gear deployed, presents significant risks. While pilots receive training to handle such situations, the absence of landing gear increases the likelihood of damage to the aircraft, potential injury to passengers, and the risk of fire.