Hard Landing of Cessna 182T LN-TRE at Bardufoss Airport

Incident Overview On 28 September 2016 at 1040 local time, a Cessna 182T (registration LN-TRE) made a hard landing at Bardufoss Airport (ENDU) in controlled airspace (Class D). The aircraft was operated by the University of Tromsø School of Aviation (UTSA) and was conducting a non-scheduled training flight. Three people were on board: an instructor/pilot-in-command and two students. No injuries were reported. The aircraft sustained damage to its landing gear, the fire wall and associated structure behind it, and the lower engine cowl. The aircraft was subsequently towed to a hangar. ## Operational Details The pilot-in-command was a 25-year-old instructor holding a CPL (A) with necessary instructor ratings. He had a total of 405 flight hours, 380 of which were on type. The reported weather at the airport at 1020 local time was: wind 110 degrees at 15 kt, visibility more than 10 km, temperature 13 °C, QNH 995 hPa. Conditions were daylight and VMC. The flight was a VFR flight. The aircraft's mass at the time of the incident was 1,342 kg, which was 65 kg below the maximum allowable takeoff mass of 1,407 kg. ## Sequence of Events During landing training, the instructor was demonstrating a touch-and-go maneuver with an engine cut at low speed and the consequences of incorrect use of the elevator. The instructor was flying the aircraft. He chose to use the best angle of climb speed (Vx) and 10° of flaps for the exercise. During the maneuver, the speed dropped to 55–50 kt and a high sink rate developed. At an altitude of approximately 40 ft, the instructor applied engine power to stop the sink rate but could not prevent the aircraft from landing hard on all three wheels. The aircraft became airborne again, and a new landing circuit was completed. On the downwind leg, the instructor noticed that the aileron trim was not responding. He requested clearance from air traffic control for a full-stop landing and executed a soft landing. During the rollout, he noticed that the nose-wheel steering was not functioning as it should. The aircraft was taxied clear of the runway and the engine was shut down. The aircraft was then towed to a hangar. ## Safety Actions The school informed that the engine cut immediately after takeoff exercise is a mandatory part of the training program. However, previously no specific speed had been specified for use after takeoff in connection with such exercises. After an assessment, the school concluded that the risk is unacceptably high when using the best angle of climb speed (Vx) because it provides too little margin to stalling. UTSA therefore decided that exercises of this kind should be performed at a speed that does not fall below the best rate of climb speed (Vy). This was announced in UTSA Safety Bulletin no. 18, which was issued the day after the accident.