Introduction
On 20 December 2022, a serious incident occurred involving a Tecnam P2006T aircraft, registered YR-TWF, at Ghimbav airfield in Brașov, Romania. The aircraft was operated by Transylvania Wings S.R.L. on a private flight. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was uninjured, and the aircraft suffered minor damage.
History of the Flight
At 10:30 local time (13:30 UTC), the pilot departed from Clinceni airfield with Ghimbav as the destination, following a submitted flight plan. After approximately one hour of flight, the aircraft landed at Ghimbav airfield. Following a prolonged pause, the pilot decided to conduct additional flight maneuvers in the Ghimbav area to become more familiar with the GARMIN 1000 avionics system installed on the aircraft.
Around 15:30 local time, the aircraft took off for local flight operations. The maneuvers included turns with varying bank angles, climbs, descents, and speed changes. After completing these maneuvers, the pilot performed an approach followed by a touch-and-go landing. Subsequently, the pilot executed another approach and touch-and-go landing.
During the final approach of the second landing, the flaps were fully extended, but the landing gear control was not actuated, leaving the landing gear retracted. The aircraft contacted the grassy surface of the airfield with the lower part of its fuselage.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Tecnam P2006T, a light, four-seat, twin-engine high-wing airplane with a metal structure. It was a brand-new aircraft (serial number 363, manufactured in 2022). The landing gear retraction system is electro-hydraulic, controlled by a knob on the left-hand instrument panel. The system includes position micro-switches, three green lights for down-and-locked indication, a red transition light, an amber pump light, and an audible warning for improper approach configuration.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the incident, weather at Ghimbav airfield was CAVOK (ceiling and visibility OK, no convective clouds). Wind was variable at 2 knots, temperature 12°C, QNH 1029 mb, and visibility over 10 km.
Tests and Research
Following the incident, the aircraft was taken to a hangar where the landing gear actuation and lighting control were checked. Both the gear kinematics and the warnings operated correctly.
Human Factors Aspects
The investigation considered human factors, noting that approximately 75 percent of aviation accidents are human factors related. The concept of pilot decision-making was discussed, emphasizing that a chain of events, rather than a single decision, often leads to incidents. The pilot had a total flight time of 4000 hours, with 40 hours on the Tecnam P2006T and less than 100 hours on retractable-gear aircraft.