What happened
On April 24, 2016, a Fairchild SA-226-AT, registration EC-GFK, operated by Flightline, was conducting a local training and verification flight at Girona Airport. The flight crew, consisting of an instructor and a trainee pilot, had completed several circuits and landings under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).
During the fifth and final landing of the session, the aircraft's landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft struck the runway on its belly, sliding along the pavement. The impact caused significant damage to the airframe, including severe damage to the wing main spar and the propellers. During the excursion, a small fire ignited in the left engine, but airport emergency services (SSEI) responded immediately, suppressing the fire with foam.
Both occupants were able to evacuate the aircraft on their own and sustained no injuries.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation focused on the crew's actions and the aircraft's configuration during the approach. Investigators examined the cockpit controls, noting that the landing gear lever was found in the "down" position after the accident, though they could not definitively confirm if it had been properly locked before impact. The investigation also reviewed the operator's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and checklists.
Key elements examined included the lack of an audible warning during this specific flight configuration, as the engine power settings and flap settings (0 degrees for the specific training maneuver) prevented the automated warning from activating. The investigation also looked into the crew's coordination and the clarity of task distribution between the pilot flying and the monitoring pilot.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was that the crew failed to act upon the landing gear lever to ensure deployment.
- The crew was performing a specific training maneuver involving landing without flaps, which altered the standard timing for gear deployment and checklist execution.
- Conflicting information between the two pilots regarding who was responsible for the gear deployment and when the checklist was performed indicated a failure in Crew Resource Management (CRM).
- The operator's manuals lacked clear definitions regarding the specific responsibilities of the pilot flying (PF) and the monitoring pilot (PM) for certain tasks.
- The aircraft's automated landing gear warning did not activate because the engine power was not at "light idle" and the flaps were not at an angle greater than 20 degrees.
- Operational pressure, as the crew was attempting to complete the flight after exceeding their scheduled time, may have contributed to the error.