I am pretty sure that the tower controller was not a trainee.
He was the scapegoat though..."ATC rushed the pilot" I think was the outcome. How can you rush a bloody knucklehead?
It was one of those accidents that changed the system. There was no "wheels check" prior to this prang. It brought about the gear check by ATC for mil aircraft which clearly absolves the pilot from ANY responsibility for a wheels up landing.