Incident Overview
On 3 February 2020, a Tecnam P2006T aircraft, registration SP-LFA, was involved in an incident at Piotrków Trybunalski airfield (EPPT) during training flights for the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL(A)). The aircraft executed a landing without the landing gear extended (belly landing) on the asphalt runway, coming to a stop after approximately 120 meters. During the landing roll, the aircraft veered 90 degrees to the left relative to the landing direction, with the fuselage halfway off the asphalt runway surface.
Sequence of Events
The incident occurred during the 28th and final flight of a series of emergency scenario training flights. The exercises included simulated engine failures, landings using backup instruments, various flap configurations, and rejected takeoffs before reaching rotation speed (VR). During the approach, the student pilot believed the exercise was a go-around procedure. However, instead of retracting the flaps to a smaller angle, the student inadvertently retracted the landing gear. The instructor intended to conclude the flight series and instructed a landing. According to the instructor, before landing, the landing gear was extended and all landing gear indication lights were illuminated. The instructor did not notice that the student had retracted the gear.
Investigation Findings
The user's investigation commission determined that the incident resulted from a communication error between the instructor and the student pilot. Both the student's mistake and the instructor's failure to detect the error most likely stemmed from fatigue caused by the high number of flights requiring significant concentration. Post-incident examination of the aircraft by technical services confirmed that the landing gear system functioned without any issues.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the incident was incorrect communication between the instructor and student pilot during the training flight.
Contributing Factors
A contributing circumstance was the performance of exercises without breaks for crew discussion and rest.
Preventive Actions
In response to the incident, the aircraft operator developed procedures to prevent similar occurrences, including issuing an order establishing detailed rules for conducting flights during emergency training scenarios. The investigation commission did not issue any safety recommendations.