Safety Accident Reports All crossed up and nowhere to go… but down! Steve Ayres summarises and comments on accident reports from around the world and adds Bluetooth connectivity to his headset to make the most of in-cockpit connectivity
Bad? Could be worse! Textron Aviation (Cessna) 206 VH-AEE near Happy Valley, Fraser Island, Queensland Injuries: None
A Cessna U206G with two pilots on board was being used for landing emergency procedure training on a beach aircraft landing area on Fraser Island, Queensland. Just after touching down, the aircraft veered significantly to the left, toward the sea. The training pilot took control of the aircraft and conducted a go-around. Once airborne it was discovered that the rudder was jammed in the full-left position and the pilot had to apply full opposite aileron to maintain control. The engine subsequently stopped and the aircraft collided with water. The pilots escaped the aircraft and swam to shore. The aircraft was destroyed. The investigation found that following touchdown a section of the nose landing gear attachment failed, resulting in the rudder becoming jammed in the full-left position. It was also identified that fuel starvation, due to either the uncoordinated flight or damage associated with the nose gear failure, led to the engine losing power at a height too low for recovery and the aircraft colliding with water. This accident highlighted two further safety issues associated with the Cessna 206 that, while not contributory to this accident, can lead to fatal consequences in the event of a ditching. First, the Cessna 206 procedure for ditching and forced landing stated that the flaps were to be
extended to 40°. While that permits the aircraft to land at a slower speed, it also significantly restricts emergency egress via the cargo door. However, there is no warning about that aspect in the ditching or forced landing pilot’s operating handbook emergency procedures. Second, the Cessna 206 with the cargo door does not meet the aircraft certification basis for the design of cabin exits due to the complexity associated with opening the cargo door if it is blocked by the flaps. This significantly hampers emergency egress and has resulted in fatalities. Comment This was a pretty hairy chain of events and I think the crew did well to walk (or swim) away without injury. The cause was probably down to an overstress failure of the nose leg but the inquiry focused on concerns over egressing from the rear cabin in the event of ditching and rightly so.
was attributed to them being in contact with the runway and was considered unlikely to have been a causal factor in the accident. No other components of the nose gear were found to be faulty and a test of the retraction / extension system worked correctly. Given the lack of further structural damage to the nose gear, it is likely that the nose gear mechanical over-centre lock was not fully extended, either due to a fault or because the gear was retracted inadvertently after landing. Comment It is always disconcerting when the cause of a particular incident eludes us but inadvertent operation of a lever or switch is all too common. Manufacturers even make flap switches that look like flaps and undercarriage levers that look like undercarriage legs. Does it make any difference? I rather suspect not… we continue to err like humans!
Human condition?
North Sea confusion
Cessna F177RG
Reims Cessna F406
G-AYSY
G-RVLW
Leicester Airport
North Sea
Injuries: Two minor
Injuries: None
Returning to Leicester Airport after a flight away from base, the pilot completed a normal join and circuit. The landing gear was lowered and a check of both the indicator lights and the external mirror showed it to be down and locked. Shortly after landing, as the aircraft slowed, the nose landing gear collapsed. The pilot and passenger vacated the aircraft with minor injuries. The damage found to the centre torque link bolt and the torque link
“The pilot’s oxygen levels on his pulse oximeter were much lower than normal” 52 | FLYER | October 2021
The pilot was operating a cargo flight from Göteborg to East Midlands Airport. The pilot had already flown the aircraft from East Midlands to Göteborg earlier in the day. The flight time for both sectors was around three hours. With the aircraft in the cruise at FL180 over the North Sea, the pilot was alerted to a problem by a rapid onset headache, followed by being unable to find a regularly used function on the electronic flight bag. Aware these could be symptoms of hypoxia, he checked his oxygen system. He also checked his oxygen levels on his pulse oximeter, which were much lower than normal, prompting him to increase the flow of oxygen through the regulator. When this did not improve the situation, he changed the supply
