1st of June 2011, Ignoring the AFM, Blog #706
- V2Aviation
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
On this day in aviation history, June 1st, 2011, an Eclipse 500 business jet was operating a private flight. The flight was operated on an IFR flight plan and originated from the Ugolny Airport (UHMA), Anadyr, Russia. The destination was Nome Airport (PAOM), Nome, Alaska, USA. On board the aircraft the pilot and a passenger.
Before departure, the pilot noticed the flaps had failed, and a FLAPS FAIL caution was displayed on the Crew Alert System. According to the Eclipse Airplane Flight Manual (AFM), Section 3: “Emergency Procedures—Flaps,” a FLAPS FAIL caution message displayed by the Crew Alert System on the ground has the following remark: “DO NOT FLY.” Contrary to the AFM instructions the pilot operated the flight with the flaps failed in the retracted position. During the flight no further problems occurred, other than continuously displaying FLAPS FAIL caution message. While on the visual approach to Runway 10 at Nome, the pilot noticed the airspeed was exceptionally high, but he elected to continue the approach. However when on short final the pilot realized that he was not going to be able to land, and decided to go around. During the go-around procedure, the airplane’s fuselage contacted the runway. The pilot managed to complete the go-around procedure, realising he had omitted to lower the landing gear.
A new approach was flown, this time with the landing gear down resulting in an uneventful landing. The pilot checked the aircraft and noticed only a broken antenna and some missing paint on the belly skid pad. The next day the aircraft would continue to Anchorage, Alaska, USA to clear customs (the pilot indicated he was too tired to continue immediately)
On the 2nd of June 2011, the pilot decided to make a test flight, still with the
FLAPS FAIL caution message displayed. During the Take-Off roll the aircraft started to vibrate, described by the pilot as a violent nose wheel shimmy. The take-off was aborted and the pilot had the aircraft inspected by a mechanic. During this inspection, it was discovered that the center wing carry-through structure was cracked when the belly skid pad deflected upward into a stringer that the structure was attached to.
An investigation was launched by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). During this investigation, it became apparent that the pilot initially reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane before the accident, but later stated that the airplane flaps were inoperative during the accident flight. The pilot stated in an email that there was an indication of a flap failure and that he had landed in Japan and Korea without the flaps. The IIC verified that the inboard flap actuator had over-traveled during retraction, and the flaps were stuck in the retracted position.
The onboard diagnostic data was also downloaded, which confirmed the flights with the flap failure. Furthermore, it became apparent that during the approach to Nome, the flaps and landing gear selectors were in the up position, with the airspeed not below 140 knots.
According to the Eclipse AFM, Section 7: “Landing Gear Warning,” a visual “CONFIG GEAR” warning, and aural “Landing Gear” warning sounds if any of the gear is not down and locked under three conditions: 1. 2. Flaps extended to LDG setting and altitude below 12,500 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL). Airspeed less than 120 knots, both throttles less than 30 percent, and altitude less than 12,500 feet MSL. 3. Airspeed between 120 and 140 knots, either throttle less than 30 percent, and altitude below 12,500 feet MSL. The airplane was also equipped with a Honeywell KGP-560 Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS). However, this model EGPWS does not provide aural warnings for flap or landing gear configuration. Under the conditions reported by the pilot, and supported by the DSU data, the airplane would not have generated a landing gear warning during the accident approach and landing.
The NTSB concluded that the probable cause of this gear-up landing was;
"The pilot landed without lowering the landing gear. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to fly the airplane with an inoperative wing flap system."
The NTSB Report, which served as the source for this blog can be accessed by clicking on th .pdf file below;
Comments