What happened
On 23 February 2001, a YAK 18T, registration LY-AOO, was involved in an accident at Humberside International Airport during a private flight. After landing on Runway 27, the pilot was directed by Air Traffic Control to hold at the intersection of Runway 21 to allow another aircraft to complete a backtrack maneuver.
While the aircraft was stationary at the holding point, the pilot began performing after-landing procedures. During this process, the pilot intended to retract the flaps but instead moved the landing gear selection handle to the 'UP' position. This handle is located on the lower left of the instrument panel.
As a result of this error, the nose landing gear retracted toward the rear of the aircraft. Because the aircraft was stationary with the brakes applied, the main landing gear could not retract inward as designed. This movement caused the propeller to strike the ground, leading to damage to both the propeller and the nose cowling. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, and both occupants were able to exit the aircraft via the left door safely.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of cockpit actions and the state of the landing gear safety mechanism. Investigators examined the positioning of the landing gear selector handle and the functionality of the safety pin designed to prevent accidental retraction.
Findings
- The pilot mistakenly operated the landing gear selector instead of the flap lever during after-landing checks.
- The safety pin, which is intended to slide over the handle to prevent inadvertent 'UP' selection, had not been moved to the safe position following the initial landing gear deployment.
- The physical constraints of the aircraft being stationary with brakes engaged prevented the main gear from retracting, which ultimately caused the propeller strike.