What happened
A flight departing from Avignon Airport for Blackpool Airport, carrying two crew members and two passengers, experienced significant system failures during its descent. While descending through FL120, the crew observed low-pressure warnings for both the left and right hydraulic systems. Although the pressure initially appeared to be fluctuating around 2,800 psi, the crew subsequently encountered roll fail and speed brake fail warnings. Following the checklists, the crew determined that a landing with flaps up would require a significantly increased landing distance.
During the final approach, the aircraft experienced a total loss of hydraulic pressure, which led to an unsafe landing gear indication. Although the gear eventually indicated down and locked, the crew did not re-evaluate the hydraulic pump failure checklist. The aircraft touched down approximately 1,500 feet before the start of the paved surface at a groundspeed of 124 kt. Upon touchdown, the pilot found that the power brakes were ineffective. Due to the lack of hydraulic pressure, the lift dump system also failed to operate. During the landing roll, the pilot did not apply the emergency brakes, and the aircraft eventually overran the runway at approximately 80 kt. The aircraft exited the paved surface onto uneven terrain, causing the nose gear to collapse and resulting in severe damage to the wing-to-fuselage attachments. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries among the occupants.
Findings
- The crew experienced a total loss of hydraulic pressure during the approach phase.
- The pilot failed to apply the emergency brakes during the landing roll despite the failure of the power brakes.
- The crew did not re-examine the hydraulic pump failure checklist after the pressure dropped significantly.