Summary
On 17 June 2019, a Piper PA-34 Seneca V, registration SP-TUC, operated by OKL Politechnika Rzeszowska, was involved in a serious incident during a training flight at Rzeszów Airport (EPRJ). The aircraft landed with its landing gear retracted, resulting in damage to the propeller blades and the underside of the fuselage. Both crew members—an instructor pilot and a trainee pilot—were uninjured and exited the aircraft unaided.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft was a Piper PA-34 Seneca V, a twin-engine light aircraft, bearing registration SP-TUC. It was operated by the Aviation Training Centre of the Rzeszów University of Technology. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was being used for a training flight under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
The instructor pilot, aged 58, held a valid CPL(A) license and had a total flight time of 4,946 hours, including 4,535 hours as pilot-in-command, of which 627 hours were on multi-engine aircraft. The trainee pilot held a valid PPL(A) license and had 204 total flight hours, with 6 hours and 15 minutes on the PA-34. Both crew members had valid medical certificates.
Sequence of Events
On the day of the incident, at 18:27 local time, the aircraft departed from Rzeszów Airport (EPRJ) on runway 26L for a training flight. The crew, consisting of an instructor and a trainee, was performing exercises simulating engine failures and instrument approaches with low passes over runway 27 of the nearby Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport (EPRZ).
After completing the training tasks, around 19:20 local time, the crew began an approach to land on runway 26L at EPRJ via a left-hand circuit. During the approach, the trainee pilot performed the landing checklist. After the third turn, she extended the flaps to 25°, and then to full flaps (40°) on final approach. The aircraft touched down with the landing gear still retracted. The instructor realized the gear was not extended only when the propeller blades contacted the runway surface.
Investigation Findings
An investigation was conducted by the Polish State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL). The aircraft was found to be airworthy with all required documentation. Weather conditions were not a contributing factor.
Post-incident testing of the landing gear system and its warning indications showed that both the audible and visual warning systems operated correctly. The investigation noted that the trainee pilot’s placement of her hand on the throttle levers during the approach likely obscured the instructor’s view of the gear lever and the gear warning lights. Furthermore, the absence of an audible gear warning may have been due to the approach being flown at engine power settings above 15 inches of manifold pressure, which inhibits the warning.
Cause
The investigation determined the incident was caused by:
- The trainee pilot performing an incomplete landing checklist.
- The instructor failing to monitor the trainee’s landing checks.
- The crew not verifying the aircraft configuration for landing.
Contributing circumstances included the approach being flown at increased engine power settings, which may have silenced the gear warning, and the trainee’s hand obscuring the gear lever and warning lights from the instructor’s view.
No safety recommendations were issued, but the operator conducted a safety meeting and reinforced standard operating procedures regarding landing gear extension and checklist discipline.