Beechcraft BE76 CS-AVL Tire Incident at Covilhã Aerodrome

Incident Overview and Flight History On 27 December 2005, at approximately 13:55 UTC, a Beechcraft BE76 with registration CS-AVL departed from Covilhã Aerodrome in Portugal. The aircraft was conducting an instructional flight with three people on board: an instructor and two student pilots, one of whom was seated in the passenger position. The intended destination was Tires Aerodrome in Cascais. During the takeoff roll, the crew heard a loud bang. Because the aircraft had already exceeded the V1 decision speed, the instructor took control and elected to continue the takeoff rather than attempt to stop on the remaining runway. After retracting the landing gear, the aircraft completed a circuit and returned to land on the same runway. The approach was conducted at minimum reference speed with full flaps to minimize potential damage. ## Damage and Investigation Findings Following the landing, an inspection revealed that the right main wheel tire had burst and the wheel rim was damaged from contact with the abrasive runway surface. No other damage was reported, and there was no fire. The GPIAA collected the tire for analysis. Examination of the tire track showed faceting typical of a locked wheel dragged on an abrasive surface. The instructor indicated that the faceting may have occurred during the previous landing, which was made by one of the student pilots. That landing was described as hard, initially touching down on the right gear leg, and the student pilot may have had a foot on the brake. The faceting was likely missed during the pre-flight exterior inspection because it was hidden against the ground. ## Aircraft and Personnel Information The aircraft was a 1980 Beechcraft BE76, serial number ME-332, powered by two Lycoming O-360-A166D engines with Hartzell propellers. The maximum takeoff mass was 3,900 pounds (1,790 kg). The instructor was a 24-year-old Portuguese male holding a commercial pilot license with single-engine multi-engine instructor qualifications. He had 1,450 total flight hours, including 50 hours on type. ## Conclusions The investigation determined that the licenses of the instructor and student pilot were valid for the type of flight being conducted. The aircraft had complied with its maintenance plan. The incident was reported to the GPIAA by the pilot. No injuries were sustained by the three occupants.