What happened
On July 12, 2020, a Cessna TU 206 G was engaged in skydiving operations at Wrocław Szymanów (EPWS) airport. The day's flight schedule was divided between two pilots. The first pilot conducted 12 flights between 07:09 and 13:15 UTC. During the sixth flight of the morning session, the aircraft experienced a hard landing. Following this landing, the aircraft underwent refueling, which was performed without shutting down the engine in accordance with the operator's Specialised Operations (SPO) procedures. The first pilot conducted a walk-around inspection while the engine was running and reported no visible damage at that time.
The second pilot took over flight duties at 13:26 UTC, completing 11 subsequent flights before concluding operations at 18:59 UTC. Upon completing the day's mission, the second pilot performed a post-flight inspection and discovered that the propeller blade tips were bent.
The investigation
The PKBWL examined the sequence of events involving the two flight shifts and the inspection procedures performed during the transition between pilots. The investigation focused on the period following the sixth flight of the day to determine when the damage occurred and why it was not identified during the initial post-landing inspection.
Findings
- The primary cause of the damage was a hard landing that resulted in physical contact between the propeller blades and the airfield surface.
- The engine parameters remained within normal operating limits throughout all flights conducted that day.
- No contributing factors or aggravating circumstances were identified in relation to this incident.