What happened
On February 3, 2015, a Piper PA28R-200, registration EC-HUU, operated by Aerotec Escuela de Pilotos, performed a landing at Tenerife Norte Airport with its landing gear in the retracted position. The aircraft was conducting a local flight training mission with an instructor and a student on board.
During the final ten minutes of the flight, meteorological conditions at the airport deteriorated rapidly, transitioning from Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) to Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). This sudden change, characterized by dropping ceilings and increasing precipitation, prompted the crew to return to the airfield immediately to avoid having to divert to a different airport.
As the aircraft approached runway 30, the crew was focused on maintaining visual contact with the runway and managing the worsening weather. Upon touchdown, the aircraft experienced a heavy impact, and the crew noted the aircraft sliding along the runway. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, the lower fuselage, and the landing gear doors.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation focused on the mechanical state of the landing gear and the crew's cockpit management. Technical examinations of the Piper PA28R-200 confirmed that the landing gear, its extension/retraction mechanisms, and all cockpit warning lights and acoustic alerts were fully functional. The investigation ruled out any mechanical failure of the gear system.
Investigators determined that the landing gear lever was operated only after the aircraft had already made contact with the runway. The investigation also examined the flight planning and the crew's decision-making process during the period of rapid weather degradation. It was noted that the crew had modified their standard cockpit task distribution, with the instructor taking over the checklist duties to assist the student pilot during the high-workload approach.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the failure to operate the landing gear lever prior to touchdown.
- The rapid degradation of weather conditions created a significant operational threat that was not effectively managed by the crew.
- The crew's focus was diverted externally toward monitoring weather and obstacles, leading to a lack of adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- The change in cockpit task distribution meant that the instructor performed the checklists rather than the student pilot, which deviated from the school's established procedures.
- The approach to the runway was unstable in terms of both altitude and lateral alignment due to the stress of the approaching weather front.