Accident Overview
On January 27, 2014, about 0530 Pacific standard time, a Beech C90 King Air, registration N350WA, experienced a hard landing at Columbia Airport (O22), Columbia, California. The airplane was operated by Axis Jet under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross-country aero-medical positioning flight. The flight departed Sacramento, California, about 0500, with the purpose of picking up an aero-medical harvest team coordinator at O22 and flying them to San Luis Obispo, California.
Flight Crew and Conditions
The flight crew consisted of a commercial pilot and an airline transport pilot, neither of whom were injured. Visual night meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The automated weather observation system reported more than 10 miles visibility, clear skies, and no wind, with a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and a dew point of -4 degrees Celsius.
Approach and Landing
The crew reported no anomalies with the flight, airplane, or the approach. The flying pilot (FP) was seated in the left seat, and the non-flying co-pilot (NFP) assisted by performing checklists and reporting speeds. The NFP reported that after a turn to final approach, full flaps were lowered, and the airplane was in a "wings level, stabilized approach." On short final, the landing gear was confirmed down for the third time, and the airspeed indicator indicated 110 knots. Both pilots described the landing as firm, and upon touchdown, they heard a loud bang followed by the airplane's belly scraping the runway. The airplane slid down the runway about 825 feet, coming to rest on the left side.
Post-Crash Fire and Evacuation
Both pilots observed fire on the left side of the airplane near the engine nacelle and evacuated the airplane. The airplane was subsequently consumed by the post-crash fire.
Investigation Findings
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crew identified the airport, activated the airport lighting system, and canceled their instrument flight plan for a visual approach. The NFP reported that at approximately 5 miles from the airport, the FP called for the first notch of flaps and then requested gear down on the final approach segment. Both pilots agreed that the landing gear was extended and that three green lights indicated it was down and locked. The NFP stated he was focused inside the cockpit calling out airspeeds, checking the landing configuration, and monitoring the GPS for terrain warnings. The FP indicated that he used the vertical approach slope indicator (VASI) initially but drifted below the glide path and did not correct back up.
FAA investigators examined the wreckage at the scene. The first identified points of contact (FIPC) were three ground scars consistent with the geometry of the main landing gear and the nose wheel, located about 100 feet short of the displaced threshold. Broken components of the landing gear were found in a debris field extending from 175 feet to 565 feet beyond the FIPC. According to the FAA, the gear was in the down and locked position at the time of the accident. Due to the post-crash fire, an examination of the airplane could not be performed.