What happened
On December 27, 2005, a private Beech 90, registration F-HDGC, was conducting a flight from Liège, Belgium, to Toulouse-Blagnac, France. The flight was operating under the pilotage of a volunteer commander accompanied by a qualified pilot.
While established on the ILS approach for runway 32L, the pilot requested a visual maneuver (a "bayonet" turn) to land on runway 3/2R. After receiving authorization, the pilot transitioned to a visual approach, retracted the full flaps, and increased the rate of descent to intercept the standard glide path for 32R. The pilot noted that the landing gear indicators were green and intended to land as short as possible to reach the parking area quickly.
At 18:59 UTC, the aircraft made a violent impact with the runway. The main landing gear failed upon contact, causing the aircraft to bounce and then slide on its belly for approximately 300 meters. The impact resulted in heavy damage to the airframe, including broken landing gear components, damaged wings, and distorted propellers. There were 3 minor injuries among the passengers, and the crew remained uninjured.
The investigation
The investigation examined radar tracks, cockpit voice recordings, and the physical state of the aircraft. Radar analysis revealed that the aircraft's vertical profile was not stabilized during the final approach. The investigation also noted the presence of moderate icing conditions below 3,000 feet, with ice deposits observed on the wing leading edges and propeller cones.
Investigators analyzed the landing gear failure, finding that the vertical load at impact was extremely high, causing the main gear attachment points to rupture. The investigation also noted that the aircraft's stall warning system had been subject to intermittent malfunctions, leading to a practice of disabling the device during taxiing, which was not documented in any official checklist.