Beech 76 Duchess, G-BODX, 16 April 2009

Beech 76 Duchess, G-BODX

Summary:

The aircraft was on an instrument rating training flight with a student pilot in the left seat, an instructor in the right seat, and another student observing from the rear. The landing gear was not selected down during an asymmetric circuit, and the flaps were not selected beyond 15°. The flare resulted in a prolonged ‘float’, and the aircraft touched down on its underside approximately 800 metres beyond the threshold. The instructor attributed the accident to “instructor error”, and stated that contributory factors included the student’s diligence during the previous approaches, and the fact that it was the last landing of the last flight of the day. He stated that the landing gear warning horn had not sounded. The accident may have been avoided if the landing gear had been selected down, or the landing checklist had been completed correctly. If full flap had been deployed for landing, it is probable that the landing gear warning horn would have sounded to alert the crew to their error.

This overview has been truncated. Please refer to the official documents below for the complete canonical report.

16 © Crown copyright 2009 AAIB Bulletin: 7/2009 G-BODX EW/G2009/04/09 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Beech 76 Duchess, G-BODX No & Type of Engines: 2 Lycoming LO-360-A1G6D piston engines Year of Manufacture: 1979 Date & Time (UTC): 16 April 2009 at 1745 hrs Location: Bournemouth Airport Type of Flight: Training Persons on Board: Crew - 2 Passengers - 1 Injuries: Crew - None Passengers - None Nature of Damage: Both props bent, engines shock-loaded, damage to underside. Aircraft beyond economic repair Commander’s Licence: Commercial Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 45 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 1,812 hours (of which 180 were on type) Last 90 days - 58 hours Last 28 days - 13 hours Information Source: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot History of the flight The aircraft was on an instrument rating training flight with a student pilot in the left seat, an instructor in the right seat, and another student observing from the rear. Following a series of instrument approaches and go‑arounds, the student flew an asymmetric approach and go-around, followed by a visual circuit to land. The landing gear was not selected down during the visual circuit, and the flaps were not selected beyond 15º (the operator had not established formal Standard Operating Procedures, but students were taught to select full flap once below asymmetric committal height). The flare resulted in a prolonged ‘float’, and the aircraft touched down on its underside approximately 800 metres beyond the threshold. The instructor later stated the ‘float’ was probably a consequence of the absence of drag from the landing gear. The aircraft slid to a halt and the occupants vacated without difficulty; there was no fire. The instructor attributed the accident to “instructor error”, and stated that contributory factors included the student’s diligence during the previous approaches, and the fact that it was the last landing of the last flight of the day. His report also mentioned a discussion of asymmetrical committal height during the circuit, which may have been a distraction. He stated that the landing gear warning horn had not sounded. 17 © Crown copyright 2009 AAIB Bulletin: 7/2009 G-BODX EW/G2009/04/09 The landing gear warning horn in the Beech Duchess sounds intermittently if a throttle is retarded below an engine setting sufficient to sustain height with the landing gear not down, or if the flaps are set beyond 16º and the landing gear is not down, regardless of throttle position. If full flap had been deployed for landing, it is probable that the landing gear warning horn would have sounded to alert the crew to their configuration discrepancy.

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