Accident to the Cessna - 172RG registered F-GYBS on 23/02/2020 at Castres (81)

Note: The following information is principally based on the instructor’s statement. This information has not been independently validated by the BEA.

This is a courtesy translation by the BEA of the Final Report on the Safety Investigation published in April 2020. As accurate as the translation may be, the original text in French is the work of reference.

1 - HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT

The instructor and the student pilot took off from Castres-Mazamet aerodrome for a local flight. On returning to the aerodrome, in the downwind leg for paved runway 32, the instructor selected the landing gear down and noticed that the left main gear jammed in an intermediate position. The green left landing gear lock confirmation light was not illuminated and the landing gear not extended aural warning sounded.

The instructor informed the AFIS officer that he was going to extend the tailwind leg and then flew to the southeast sector to conduct tests. He carried out a reset of the landing gear using the normal and emergency procedures but was unable to lock the left landing gear.

He then decided to make a precautionary landing on runway 14 to take advantage of both the runway upward slope and the crosswind component from the right[1].

He flew a holding pattern for 1.5 hours to reduce the aircraft's fuel load. He announced a MAYDAY on the frequency. The AFIS officer notified the ARFF and the outside rescue services, which took position in the vicinity of the runway before landing.

The instructor carried out the landing on the left side of the runway. He then chose to exit the runway laterally to the left in order to run the aircraft on the grass strip, then voluntarily and at low speed, he performed a ground loop. The left wing touched the ground, the left landing gear retracted and the aircraft came to a stop. The horizontal stabilizer and the left elevator were damaged.

2 - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The 77-year old pilot was a former airline transport pilot who held a valid private pilot licence and an aircraft instructor rating. At the time of the accident, he had logged approximately 20,000 flight hours.