What happened
On the night of May 8, 2008, an EADS SOCATA TB 20 (registration F-GLIE) was performing a night flight training exercise at Royan Aerodrome. The flight involved an instructor and a student pilot, along with one additional occupant. During the session, the instructor proposed an additional training maneuver involving a runway approach and landing on runway 28.
As the student pilot was flying the aircraft, the instructor temporarily took control to correct the flight path after noticing the aircraft was off-center. During the approach, the instructor extended the flaps to the second notch. Upon final approach, the instructor resumed control of the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently landed with the landing gear in a partially retracted state. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway, supported by the landing gear struts. While the aircraft sustained minor damage, the fuselage belly remained undamaged.
The investigation
The investigation established that the instructor had accepted the flight on short notice to replace another pilot, despite not having planned to fly that evening. The instructor did not communicate the plan to perform the specific runway approach exercise during the pre-flight briefing.
During the flight, the crew was managing several distractions. The instructor noted that the aircraft's stall warning system was prone to false activations. The student pilot, who was heavily focused on the flight maneuvers, did not notice the landing gear warning alarm. Furthermore, the instructor admitted that while he performed a verbal checklist during short final, he omitted the item regarding the landing gear extension. The investigation also noted that the instructor had not flown a retractable-gear aircraft for one year, as the club's other aircraft are fixed-gear models.
Findings
- The decision to perform an unusual training exercise created an excessive workload for the crew.
- The use of an aircraft with a malfunctioning stall warning system contributed to pilot distraction due to frequent false alarms.
- The instructor failed to include the specific landing gear check in the verbal checklist during the final approach.
- The student pilot's high level of concentration on flight path maintenance led to a failure to notice the landing gear warning alarm.