Swearingen SA 226 AT Metro II Electrical Failure and Near-Miss at Barcelona Airport (EC-JCV)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 21 February 2011, a Swearingen SA 226 AT Metro II with registration EC-JCV, operated by Flightline, was involved in an incident at Barcelona Airport (LEBL). The aircraft, manufactured in 1975 with serial number AT038, was powered by two Garrett TPE-331-3U-303G turboprop engines. The flight was a commercial positioning operation. The crew consisted of a 30-year-old pilot-in-command with 2,858 total flight hours and a 28-year-old co-pilot with 1,810 total flight hours. Both held valid commercial pilot licenses and type ratings for the SA226/227. ## Sequence of Events The aircraft departed Barcelona at 09:30 for Reus (LERS) and completed four local training flights. At 16:00, it departed Reus for Barcelona under callsign FTL006. At 16:13:35, air traffic control reported difficulty receiving the aircraft and a lack of radar contact, prompting the crew to confirm communication system issues. Subsequently, progressive electrical failures occurred, leading to a total system failure. At 16:21:45, the crew declared a MAYDAY and was authorized to land at Barcelona. ## Near-Miss and Landing During the approach, an Airbus A320 (EC-KFI, callsign VLG2278) was authorized to depart on runway 25L at 16:25:03. The two aircraft crossed approximately 4 nautical miles south of the airport, maintaining a lateral separation of 2.4 nautical miles at 16:27:28. The FTL006 crew maintained visual contact with the other traffic. At 16:28:47, the FTL006 crew initiated a go-around on runway 02, reporting that the landing gear was not down. The aircraft subsequently landed normally on runway 25L at 16:33:13. ## Technical and Operational Context The aircraft's electrical system consists of DC and AC buses with redundant circuits. In the event of a total electrical failure, the landing gear must be deployed using a manual emergency pump. The investigation noted that while local regulations included procedures for communication failures, no specific procedure existed for a total electrical system collapse. The incident was reported to the investigation authority on 8 March 2011 via the AESA notification system.