What happened
On January 14, 2005, a Piper PA 31 T Cheyenne 2, registered F-GALD, was performing a flight from Châteauront to Lille Lesquin for a business passenger. Due to poor weather conditions at intermediate stops, the flight proceeded directly to Lille. The pilot was operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) and was under radar guidance for an ILS approach to runway 26.
During the descent at 2,000 feet, the pilot attempted to configure the aircraft for approach. However, the flaps continued to extend beyond the intended position, moving from the approach setting to the full landing position (40 degrees). The pilot attempted to correct this by cycling the flap electrical circuit and repositioning the lever, but the flaps again extended to the landing position.
While approaching the glide slope, the pilot commanded the landing gear to extend and manually compensated for the aircraft's handling. As the aircraft approached the decision altitude, the pilot identified the high-intensity approach lights and continued the landing. During the flare, the pilot reduced power to idle. Shortly after touchdown on the runway centerline, the propellers made contact with the ground. The aircraft subsequently veered off the runway and came to rest in the grass to the right of the runway with the landing gear retracted.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of cockpit actions and the mechanical state of the aircraft. Investigators found that the landing gear lever was left in an intermediate position following the descent. Upon inspection after the accident, the landing gear was found to be fully functional, extending and locking normally.
Regarding the cockpit environment, the investigation established that the pilot was managing a significant workload due to the simultaneous issues with the flap configuration and the approach procedures. It was also noted that a technical issue involving the flaps—an intermittent over-extension caused by a misadjusted contactor in the right wing—had occurred previously but had not been recorded in the aircraft logbook. A repair for this issue had been scheduled for a future maintenance visit.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's acceptance of an excessive workload, which led to the omission of the required verification that the landing gear was down and locked.
- The pilot failed to confirm the three green lights indicating the gear was locked and did not notice the gear lever was in an intermediate position.
- A mechanical malfunction in the flap system caused the flaps to extend beyond the intended setting, contributing to the pilot's distraction and increased workload during the approach.