What happened
On July 23, 2005, a SOCATA Gardan GY 80-160 Horizon, registration F-BMUE, was conducting an instructional flight at the Courchevel altiport. The flight was being conducted by a pilot and an instructor to train the pilot for retractable gear operations and site-specific qualifications.
During the pre-flight inspection, the instructor noted that the green light indicating the landing gear was locked in the down position was not illuminated. The flight departed from Albertville at 09:30. Due to heavy air traffic, the instructor suggested diverting to Courchevel for training. During the flight, the crew performed two stall exercises, including one in landing configuration, but the green gear indicator remained unlit.
While performing circuits at Courchevel, the pilot followed instructions to modify the flight path to maintain separation from a preceding PA 28. As the crew approached the final approach, the instructor focused on traffic avoidance and directed the pilot to reduce speed and correct the approach path. During the flare, the instructor noticed the nose of the aircraft dipping abnormally and took control to reduce power. The aircraft subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted, resulting in damaged propeller blades.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the gear-up landing and the crew's management of the aircraft during the approach. The investigators examined the cockpit environment, noting that the instructor was primarily focused on preventing mid-air collisions with other aircraft in the circuit. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's experience and the specific training objectives of the flight, noting that the pilot was a recent owner of the aircraft and lacked mountain and Courchevel-specific qualifications.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a distraction of attention caused by an increased workload during the approach.
- The instructor's focus on maintaining separation from other traffic and managing the approach path led to a failure to communicate critical flight parameters.
- The pilot was preoccupied with executing the trajectory corrections requested by the instructor.
- The instructor failed to reiterate essential arrival announcements due to his preoccupation with traffic avoidance.