What happened
On May 31, 2013, at approximately 06:29 UTC, an Embraer EMB-110, registration PT-WCM, was performing a scheduled passenger flight from Anápolis (SWNS) to Guarulhos (SBGR). The aircraft was carrying two crew members and 13 passengers. During the instrument approach to runway 09R, the crew reported visual contact with the runway at an altitude of 500 feet. However, upon touchdown, the aircraft made contact with the runway surface with the landing gear in the retracted position. The impact caused substantial damage to the propellers, engines, fuselage, flaps, and wing undersides, and triggered a small fire that required intervention by the airport fire department. All 15 people on board escaped without injury.
The investigation
CENIPA's investigation confirmed that the flight crew was fully qualified, holding valid licenses and medical certificates, and were experienced in multi-engine instrument flight. The aircraft was airworthy, within weight and balance limits, and had up-to-date maintenance records. Meteorological conditions at the time of the accident were favorable for IFR operations.
The investigation focused on the failure to extend the landing gear despite the availability of both procedural checklists and automated cockpit warnings. The aircraft was equipped with visual indicators (U/C flags) and audible alarms designed to alert the crew if the gear was not locked or if flaps were extended without the gear being down. The crew admitted to the tower that they had forgotten to perform the landing gear extension procedure.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure to execute the landing gear extension procedure during the approach.
- Inadequate task management and cockpit coordination led to the omission of critical steps in the 'Before Landing' and 'Final Approach' checklists.
- Contributing factors included lapses in crew attention, attitude, coordination, memory, and perception.