What happened
During an instrument approach to runway 21 at Coffs Harbour airport, a King Air operating an aeromedical flight from Sydney experienced a sudden loss of altitude. The flight, which included the pilot, two flight nurses, and one patient, was operating under instrument meteorological conditions characterized by heavy rain and low visibility. While attempting to maintain a 3-degree descent profile, the pilot was unable to descend as planned due to separation requirements with a preceding aircraft. As the aircraft reached approximately 50 feet, the pilot initiated a go-around.
Immediately following the initiation of the go-around, the aircraft struck a breakwater and passed over a restaurant at the Coffs Harbour boat harbour. The impact caused the left main landing gear to detach from the aircraft, with one wheel falling into the water and another lodging in the rocks. During the subsequent climb, the pilot experienced a significant bank and discovered that the primary attitude indicator had failed, necessitating the use of standby instruments to recover from a 70-degree right turn.
Despite the structural damage and the loss of the landing gear, the pilot managed to stabilize the aircraft over the sea. After approximately 30 minutes of maneuvering while awaiting improved weather, the pilot returned to the airport and performed a smooth landing on runway 21. There were no injuries to the four occupants, and no damage to property or the environment was reported.
Findings
- The pilot was unable to maintain the planned descent profile due to a late clearance from air traffic control caused by separation with a preceding aircraft.
- The aircraft struck a breakwater during the transition to a go-around maneuver.
- A failure of the primary attitude indicator occurred during the climb, requiring reliance on standby instrumentation.