Introduction
On 12 June 1999 at 1014 UTC, a Piper PA-30 twin-engine aircraft, registration F-BRUS, sustained damage during a landing at Shoreham Airport, Sussex. The aircraft was on a private flight from France, with one pilot and one passenger on board. Neither occupant was injured. The aircraft, manufactured in 1969, was equipped with two Lycoming IO-320-B1A piston engines.
Flight and Event
The aircraft was the second to arrive among approximately 100 aircraft expected from France. Participating pilots had been briefed to join the circuit downwind and report when crossing the coast. The pilot of F-BRUS had flown from Toussus-le-Noble to Rouen before continuing to Shoreham; his passenger was also a qualified pilot.
An initial radio call from the pilot was received by Shoreham Air Traffic Control (ATC), and the aircraft was observed on the downwind leg. No call was received from the aircraft on final approach, and it executed a go-around. During the climb, the wings were seen to rock, which was interpreted as indicating a problem. The airport fire service was placed on standby. The aircraft then made a climbing turn to the downwind position and positioned for another approach. There was no response to radio calls from ATC. On final approach, it was visible that the nose landing gear was not fully extended, a fact later confirmed by a video recording of the landing. As the aircraft touched down, the landing gear collapsed and one propeller struck the runway. The aircraft lifted off briefly, the right main gear locked down, and the aircraft settled and slewed off the runway to the left before coming to a halt.
Pilot's Report
The pilot reported that upon joining the circuit and selecting landing gear and flaps down, he noticed that the flaps were not moving and that the cockpit lights had extinguished, indicating an apparent total electrical failure. Unable to confirm the position of the landing gear, he executed a go-around. During the remainder of the flight, he did not hear any radio calls from ATC.
After the go-around, the pilot checked all fuses and switch positions, finding no change. He then attempted to use the emergency gear extension system. He de-clutched the electric motor and engaged the manual lever into the two sockets on the landing gear torque tube in turn, attempting to rotate the tube. The operating load was higher than expected, leading him to believe the landing gear was fully down. The torque tube is normally rotated by inserting the lever into one socket for initial rotation and then into a second, angled socket for further movement. He completed the second circuit with no lights indicating landing gear position and subsequently landed.
The pilot noted that at start-up at Toussus-le-Noble, he found the alternator field switches in the 'OFF' position and switched them to 'ON'. The 'CLOSING DOWN' checklist stipulates these switches should be left 'ON', as field current to both alternators is routed through the single battery master switch. Weather conditions during the flight to Shoreham were reported as not good, and the pilot was fully occupied with flying. He did not check individual alternators before takeoff and did not carry out any cruise checks (FREDA) in flight.
Post-Incident Inspection
Following recovery, the landing gear was extended and both engines were run. During these engine runs, the electrical system appeared to function normally. The damage comprised bent propeller tips and shock-loaded engines, fuselage deformation aft of the cabin, compression wrinkling of the top skin of the left wing, and underside abrasions.