What happened
Between June 2000 and April 2002, several aircraft incidents were recorded across Italy involving various types of flight, including training, touring, and gliding.
In June 2000, a Piper PA-34-200, registration I-MIMU, performing a training flight, experienced a nose gear retraction during landing at Palermo Punta Raisi after the pilot relied on visual confirmation from the tower regarding gear extension. In August 2000, a Cessna 150, registration I-FFSH, ran out of fuel during a touring flight near Santa Maria Nuova di Bertinoro, leading to an emergency landing in a field.
In May 2001, a Grob Twin Astir glider, registration I-IVAS, crashed into a wooded area near Monte Marzola after losing altitude following separation from its tow plane. In February 2002, a Socata TB 9, registration I-IAEO, overran the runway at Sabaudia after an unsuccessful braking attempt. Finally, in April 2002, a Piper PA-28-140, registration I-ICES, experienced a loss of control during a touch-and-go maneuver at Biella Cerrione, resulting in a nose gear failure and excursion from the runway.
The investigation
The ANSV examined the mechanical and operational circumstances of each event. For the I-MIMU incident, investigators inspected the landing gear assembly and found that a broken steering flange caused the spherical pin to dislodge from its tracks during retraction. For the I-IVAS glider accident, technical inspections of the landing gear piston revealed a worn seal. In the I-ICES training flight, the investigation focused on the sequence of impacts during the touchdown phase of the flight.
Findings
- The Piper PA-34-200 incident was likely caused by previous over-steering of the nose wheel on the ground.
- The Cessna 150 fuel exhaustion was attributed to inadequate flight planning, lack of pre-flight fuel verification, and the pilot's limited recent flying experience.
- The Grob Twin Astir crash was caused by a malfunctioning hydraulic piston seal preventing the left gear from locking.
- The Socata TB 9 overrun resulted from the pilot's failure to apply sufficient braking via the pedals.
- The Piper PA-28-140 excursion was caused by a heavy landing and subsequent loss of longitudinal control due to over-controlling.