India – India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has completed its investigation into a May 2022 training flight accident involving FSTC Flying School's Tecnam P2006T at Bhiwani Airfield, Haryana, determining that fuel vapor lock in the left engine, crew handling deficiencies, and limited experience on type were the primary causes of the crash.

The twin-engine Tecnam P2006T (VT-VDB, serial number 269, manufactured 2019) was conducting its second training sortie of the day with a flight instructor and student pilot aboard, performing circuit-and-landing manoeuvres at Chaudhary Bansi Lal Airport when the left engine experienced rough running and power loss shortly after a touch-and-go at approximately 100 feet above ground level.
Extreme ambient temperature — recorded at 44°C at the time, rising to 46°C immediately after the accident — combined with the aircraft's use of automotive gasoline (MOGAS) containing 10% ethanol created conditions conducive to vapor lock formation in the left engine fuel lines; the fuel met approved specifications but investigators found its volatility increased vapor formation risk under high-heat conditions.
The AAIB found that critical Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) procedures were not followed following the left-engine power loss: the failed engine's propeller was not feathered, the landing gear was not retracted, and the pitch attitude was not lowered sufficiently to maintain airspeed above the aircraft's minimum control speed (VMCA). No Mayday call was made.
The crew interpreted the right engine's reduced performance as a complete failure, though investigators found it continued producing power throughout the forced landing sequence.
The 34-year-old flight instructor held a CPL with approximately 1,589 total flight hours but only 28 hours on the Tecnam P2006T; the 20-year-old student had logged 182 total hours — primarily on the Cessna 172 — and just 1 hour 15 minutes on type.
Organisational findings included FSTC's unauthorised reduction of circuit altitude from the DGCA-approved 1,500 feet to 700 feet without amending its Training and Procedures Manual, an inadequate emergency checklist, and the absence of an SD card in the aircraft's Garmin data-logging system, which prevented flight data capture.
No SD card recovery was possible; subsequent attempts by the US NTSB to extract data from the units' internal memory were unsuccessful. Both occupants evacuated safely with no fatalities or serious injuries reported.

Source: AAIB

Indian Aviation Accident Investigator Identifies Fuel System Failure and Crew Procedure Gaps in 2022 Flight Training Crash

This feature is only available to our Premium Subscribers

Share

Recommend this Post