Girona Piper PA-34-200 Landing Gear Incident (EC-HZM)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at 17:30 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 with registration EC-HZM, operated by Top Fly, was involved in an incident at Girona Airport. The aircraft was equipped with two Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 engines. The flight was a general aviation training operation with dual command, involving an instructor and a student pilot. The instructor was 30 years old with 3,423 total flight hours, including 160 hours on type. The student pilot was 21 years old with 160 total flight hours, including 15 hours on type. Both held appropriate licenses, ratings, and medical certificates for the flight. The aircraft had a valid airworthiness certificate and was maintained according to its authorized program. ## Sequence of Events The aircraft departed Girona Airport at 16:30 local time for a local training flight. After performing various IFR maneuvers, it conducted a takeoff and landing on runway 20 and joined the right-hand traffic pattern for simulated engine failure practices. The pattern included a go-around where the landing gear was extended during descent and retracted during climb-out after overflying the runway. The crew re-entered the pattern to continue engine failure practices, intending to conclude with a full landing on one engine. They extended the final approach segment to maintain separation from preceding heavy-category wake turbulence traffic. Upon touchdown, the landing gear legs folded, and the aircraft came to a stop on the runway after skidding a few meters on its belly. Both occupants were uninjured and exited the aircraft under their own power. ## Damage and Post-Incident Investigation The aircraft sustained significant damage to the lower fuselage, left flap, propellers, and engines. Shallow grooves were left on the runway by the propellers. Following the incident, the landing gear system was tested at the airport. With all systems disconnected, the aircraft was lifted by crane, and the electrical system was energized. With the gear lever in the down position, the extension cycle completed normally, and all three green indicator lights for gear down and locked illuminated. The aircraft was then lowered to the ground, and all three legs remained correctly locked under the aircraft's weight. ## Analysis and Probable Cause The post-incident inspection and tests concluded that the landing gear system functioned correctly. The instructor reported that the aircraft was configured for landing without flaps and the gear was lowered, though he could not confirm the green indicator lights. The unsafe gear aural warning sounded during the approach and stopped when the gear lever was lowered. At touchdown, the instructor felt the aircraft settle on the gear before sinking, with the nose descending until a loud scraping noise was heard. He rechecked the gear lever position but did not verify the lights. The most probable sequence of events was that the gear lever was actuated during the approach shortly before touchdown, leaving the gear in the process of extending at the moment of ground contact. The delay in actuating the gear may have been due to the student pilot's focus on the engine failure practice, which required significant attention and caused tension, exacerbated by the need to adjust for heavy traffic. The probable cause of the incident was the late actuation of the landing gear lever, preventing its full extension before ground contact.