Plane crash landing “probably” due to fitting of wrong screw
THE CRASH landing of a light plane at East Midlands Airport in January was “most probably” the result of an incorrectly fitted screw in the landing gear, an accident report has found.
Flights from the airport were temporarily suspended after the Cessna G-MAPP plane suffered a landing gear malfunction on January 14.
When the plane landed, the left wing began to sink and it was forced off the runway and onto the grass.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the cause of the problem was the “incorrect fitment of a set screw” in the landing gear.
Three people were on board the plane, including two pilots who had recently joined the operator and were learning to fly the plane, and an instructor. Nobody was injured in the incident. The AAIB report said: “The aircraft flew two approaches to overshoot and two touch-and-gos, before taking off again, prior to its fifth approach.
“For this fifth approach the instructor planned to demonstrate a flapless approach to a full stop landing.
“An uneventful approach was flown, with the landing gear confirmed as indicating fully down by all on board, to a landing which was described as smooth.
“After landing, as the aircraft was slowing down, the left wing began to sink and the left propeller made contact with the ground.”
The report added: “The instructor made a mayday call but was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway, and it came to rest on the grass just to the south of the runway.
“The instructor made the aircraft safe and the crew, who were uninjured, evacuated the aircraft. Fire crews were quickly on scene, but there was no fire.”
The report concluded: “The cause of the landing gear collapse was most probably the incorrect fitment of a set screw in the downlock link.”
The AAIB recommended manufacturer Textron Aviation to update its maintenance manuals to ensure the set screws are regularly serviced.