Landing gear collapse following total electrical failure near Malmö

Casualties unknown • Serious incident with the aircraft, SE-LUX, of the type Beech-95-B55, at Malmö/Sturup flygplats, Skåne County, SE

An aircraft engaged in flight training experienced a complete loss of electrical power, leading to a landing gear collapse and belly landing near Malmö Airport.

What happened

During a training flight southeast of Malmö Airport, an aircraft intended to practice instrument approaches experienced a sudden and total loss of all electrical power. This failure rendered all navigation equipment, radio communications with air traffic control, and internal intercommunication systems inoperable. At the time of the failure, the flight was being conducted under visual flight conditions in darkness.

To navigate back to the airport without electronic aids, the crew relied on external visual references and a tablet-based navigation application. Due to the lack of electrical power, the crew was forced to attempt a manual extension of the landing gear, a procedure that neither the instructor nor the student pilot had previously practiced. To verify the gear's position, the crew attempted to use portable light sources to inspect the engine cowling mirrors; however, they were unable to confirm if the nose landing gear was locked. The crew proceeded with the approach, but upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed. The aircraft impacted the runway on its belly and skeltered for over 300 meters before coming to a halt.

The investigation

The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the gear collapse and the cause of the electrical failure. While the investigation could not definitively determine why the total loss of electrical power occurred, investigators examined the crew's response to the emergency and the technical state of the aircraft's systems. The inquiry also reviewed the accuracy of the aircraft's documentation and the adequacy of the training organization's procedures.

Findings

Investigators concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the crew's insufficient knowledge regarding the manual landing gear extension procedure, which resulted in the gear not being fully extended for landing.

Several contributing factors were identified, including:

  • Discrepancies between the aircraft's flight manual instructions for the electrical system and the actual functionality of the installed hardware.
  • A lack of familiarity with the specific electrical system architecture.
  • The absence of a clear warning system to alert the crew when the battery was no longer being charged by the alternators.
  • Ambiguities within the training organization's manuals regarding operational procedures, risk management, and training protocols.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by the pilots' inability to correctly execute the manual landing gear extension due to a lack of training, compounded by inaccurate flight manual instructions and the lack of an effective battery charging warning system.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2019-11-17 aircraft accident near Serious incident with the aircraft, SE-LUX, of the type Beech-95-B55, at Malmö/Sturup flygplats, Skåne County, SE?

An aircraft engaged in flight training experienced a complete loss of electrical power, leading to a landing gear collapse and belly landing near Malmö Airport.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2019-11-17 involved a aircraft, registration SE-LUX, at Serious incident with the aircraft, SE-LUX, of the type Beech-95-B55, at Malmö/Sturup flygplats, Skåne County, SE.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident was caused by the pilots' inability to correctly execute the manual landing gear extension due to a lack of training, compounded by inaccurate flight manual instructions and the lack of an effective battery charging warning system.

Loading the flight search…