Accident to the Socata TB20 registered F-HOMB on 08/12/2022 at Abbeville

Note: the following information is principally based on the pilot’s statement. This information was not validated by the BEA.

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

1. History of the flight

The pilot of the TB20 registered F-HOMB, accompanied by a passenger, took off from Saint-Ghislain aerodrome (Belgium) for a VFR flight bound for Amiens. During the flight preparation, the pilot and his passenger, also a pilot, noted that the conditions at Amiens aerodrome were adverse for a VFR flight. They thought that returning to the departure aerodrome, if necessary, would not be a problem, as the conditions would be VMC all day. They also kept the option to divert to Abbeville aerodrome, where the conditions were suitable for VFR flight.

During the approach to Amiens aerodrome, the meteorological conditions were such that the two occupants of the aeroplane decided to divert to Abbeville aerodrome. When they arrived at Abbeville, they joined directly the downwind leg before learning from a pilot who had just taken off that the paved runway was closed. They then decided to head to the unpaved runway.

During the approach, the pilot did not go through the before-landing checklist and forgot to
extend the landing gear. The occupants did not hear the warnings associated with retracted landing gear on approach, flaps extended landing gear retracted and reduced power landing gear retracted. The aeroplane landed with the landing gear retracted. Both occupants were wearing Active Noise Reduction (ANR) headsets.

They indicated that the omission to extend the landing gear was caused by them focusing on the approach to the grass runway. For the same reason, they did not carry out a mutual check as they usually do.

They had not read the NOTAMs relating to the condition of the runways (see paragraph 2.4).

2. Additional information

2.1 Pilot information

The 82-year-old pilot held a PPL licence valid until 30 September 2024 with as medical restriction, the obligation to wear glasses.

He had flown five hours in the ninety days and no hours in the thirty days before the accident.

2.2 Wreckage information

Some damage on the airframe and the propeller was observed.

2.3 Abbeville aerodrome information

Abbeville aerodrome is an uncontrolled aerodrome with an A/A frequency. It has three runways:

• paved runway 02/20 measuring 1,250 x 23 m;
• unpaved runway 02/20 measuring 900 x 100 m; 
• unpaved runway 13/31 measuring 570 x 80 m.

The aerodrome circuits are carried out at an altitude of 1,200 ft/QNH, which is 1,000 ft agl. The aerodrome is reserved for aircraft equipped with a radio.

2.4 Condition of runways and NOTAMs in force

From August 2022, Abbeville aerodrome had had to deal with serious structural problems on paved and unpaved runways 02/20. The collapse of part of the shoulder of the paved runway (threshold 20) had led to its closure.

In September 2022, the collapse of part of unpaved runway 02/20 (threshold 02) required the operator to reduce the runway width by 20 % (from 100 m to 80 m).

Two NOTAMs, one directly relating to the closure of runway 02/20 and the other relating to the reduction of grass runway 02/20 had been published.

2.5 Visual indications runway not available

The need to position Saint-Andrew crosses was discussed on 2 September 2022 by the DGAC and the aerodrome operator. The operator had agreed to install them. They were not in position at the time of the accident.

2.6 Landing gear up aural warning

On TB20 type aeroplanes, the aural warning is emitted in the cockpit through an overhead loudspeaker, behind the left pilot’s seat. This aural warning does not sound in the pilot’s headset via the onboard audio/interphone system.

2.7 Headsets with ANR function

The ANR reduces cockpit noise (ambient noise) perceived by the pilot in real time; noise is reduced by the emission of an out-of-phase audio signal of the ambient noise in the headset. The simultaneous reception of the real signal and its opposite generates a substantial noise reduction.

The warnings emitted in the cockpit through the loud speaker form part of the ambient noise and thus their perception might be strongly attenuated by the ANR function of the headset. A note published in 2007 by the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alerts general aviation and commercial transport actors of the risks associated with the use of this equipment.