What happened
On 27 March 2014, a Beechcraft King Air B200, registration VT-HRA, was performing a passenger flight from Chandigarh to Delhi. During the takeoff roll, the pilot noticed unusual stiffness in the rudder controls, causing the aircraft to pull toward the left side of the runway. Despite the aircraft's tendency to veer, the pilot proceeded with rotation at approximately 98 knots.
Shortly after lifting off, the aircraft reached an altitude of only 10 to 15 feet before the left wing stalled. The aircraft entered a left bank attitude and impacted the paved surface of the runway. The impact caused substantial damage to the airframe, including the destruction of the landing gear, engines, and nose section. There were no injuries to the eight passengers or the two crew members on board.
The investigation
AAIB India examined the wreckage, flight recorder data, and crew statements to determine the sequence of events. The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft, the crew's performance, and the cockpit environment. Investigators reviewed the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), which revealed that the crew had not performed the required pre-takeoff checklists.
Technical analysis of the flight controls showed that the rudder stiffness was linked to the engagement of the yaw damper. The investigation also looked into the pilot's qualifications, noting that while the pilot held a valid ATPL, they did not meet the specific requirement of having five hours of PIC experience within the preceding 30 days for this VIP flight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the stalling of the left wing at a very low altitude.
- The crew failed to follow the emergency checklist to properly deactivate the yaw damper and release rudder stiffness.
- There was a significant failure in Crew Resource Management (CRM), characterized by confusion in the cockpit and a lack of coordinated action.
- The crew did not abort the takeoff before reaching V1 speed, despite the aircraft's unstable behavior.
- The co-pilot did not perform necessary speed call-outs, and the rudder boost was not deactivated.
- The rotation was initiated prematurely and with undue haste.