What happened
During a scheduled training flight originating from Yakutsk, the crew of an Antonov aircraft performed several approach and landing maneuvers using various flap configurations. Following two successful procedures, the crew began a third approach. During this sequence, the captain requested the deployment of the landing gear. However, the flight engineer mistakenly moved the gear selector from the neutral position to the retract position. Because the engineer failed to verify the landing gear down indicators, the error went unnoticed.
As the aircraft transitioned to the final approach, the captain requested a flap adjustment to 10 degrees. The crew proceeded toward the runway without performing the necessary final approach checklists, despite having received landing clearance. Approximately fourteen seconds prior to touchdown, air traffic control notified the crew that a go-around was necessary because the landing gear had not been extended. The captain did not initially perceive this warning due to simultaneous altitude and airspeed reports from the flight engineer.
Five seconds after the initial warning, the controller issued a second alert. Although a crew member identified the gear warning lights on the instrument panel and alerted the captain, the aircraft was too low to safely execute a climb. The captain applied takeoff power, but the tail strike occurred only three seconds later. The aircraft subsequently slid approximately 1000 meters along the runway before coming to a complete stop. No fatalities or injuries were reported in the incident.
Findings
- The flight engineer accidentally moved the landing gear lever to the retract position.
- The crew failed to monitor the landing gear indicators following the lever movement.
- Standard final approach checklists were not completed prior to landing.
- Communication from air traffic control was momentarily obscured by internal cockpit calls regarding airspeed and altitude.