What happened
Shortly after departing the airport, the pilot elected to conduct a practice emergency procedure. Approximately four miles south of the departure point at an altitude of 4,000 feet mean sea level, the pilot shut down and feathered the left engine. He subsequently attempted to restart the engine but reported that the battery lacked sufficient power to crank the engine fast enough for a successful ignition.
After several unsuccessful attempts to restart the left engine, the pilot turned back toward the airport to land with only the right engine operating. The aircraft was equipped with a single engine-driven hydraulic pump connected exclusively to the left engine. With the left engine shut down, the pilot was forced to lower the hydraulically operated landing gear using a hand pump.
During the approach to runway 22, the pilot realized he did not have enough time to fully pump the gear down. Consequently, he decided to change his approach and land on runway 34 instead. He applied full power to the right engine but was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot tightened the traffic pattern in an effort to gain height.
The pilot stated that he did not have sufficient altitude to align the aircraft with the runway before it struck the ground, impacting wing tip first. The aircraft crash-landed on the right side of runway 34, slid across the pavement, and came to rest on the opposite side. The pilot had accumulated a total of 0.6 hours in this specific make and model.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical status of the aircraft following the incident. Examination revealed that the left engine was feathered due to the pilot's decision during the practice maneuver. The hydraulic system, which relied entirely on the left engine for normal operation, required manual pumping by the pilot to extend the landing gear.
Findings
The primary contributing factor was the pilot's inability to maintain altitude with a single engine while executing a tight traffic pattern after an in-flight shutdown. Additionally, the lack of sufficient battery power prevented the restart of the left engine. The pilot's decision to change runways due to insufficient time to pump down the gear further complicated the landing sequence.
Safety message
Pilots practicing emergency procedures should be aware that single-engine operations significantly reduce climb performance and maneuverability. Adequate altitude must be maintained to allow for complex tasks such as manual gear extension and pattern adjustments without compromising safety margins.