History of the Flight
On 8 August 2022, at approximately 1035 local time, a Diamond DA42 aircraft operated by HM Aerospace departed for a general handling sortie. The instructor and student pilot initially planned to proceed to a training area, but adverse weather prompted them to conduct circuits first. During the second circuit, the student pilot, on final approach, perceived a crosswind from the right and used a crabbing technique. Just before touchdown, he applied left rudder and landed on the centerline, but the aircraft immediately began veering right despite additional left rudder input. The instructor took control, noting the right wing was lower than normal. He shut down both engines and used ailerons to keep the right wing up, preventing the right engine and propeller from contacting the runway. Simultaneously, he applied left rudder and brake. The aircraft continued veering right and came to a stop on the grass verge on the right side of Runway 03. Air traffic control was informed, and two crash tenders were dispatched. Both occupants egressed unassisted.
Injuries and Damage
Both the instructor and student were uninjured. Post-flight inspection revealed damage only to the right-hand main landing gear (RH MLG). The preliminary inspection report indicated that the most probable cause of the serious incident was the failure of the RH MLG trailing arm. Scratch marks were found on the runway, but no other damage was reported.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Diamond DA42, serial number 42.041, registered as 9M-HMY. It had a Certificate of Airworthiness in the JAR 23 Normal category, issued on 21 December 2021 and valid until 20 December 2022. The airframe and engines had accumulated 2,636 hours and 4,965 landing cycles. The operator was HM Aerospace Sdn. Bhd.
Investigation and Findings
The Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of Malaysia was notified within an hour and dispatched an investigation team the next day. The RH MLG trailing arm was sent to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for metallurgical testing, but as of the final report's issuance on 28 July 2023, no results had been received. Without these results, a definitive analysis remained pending. The AAIB noted that the operator had conducted a one-time inspection of all trailing arms in their fleet. The investigation found no regulatory non-compliance or safety concerns regarding the operator. Blood and urine samples from both pilots tested negative for alcohol and drugs.