Incident Overview
Description
A Beechcraft B300C Super King Air 350, registration F-GOAE, departed from Le Mans-Arnage Airport (LME), France to Santiago De Compostela Airport (SCQ), Spain on a cargo flight according to instrument flight rules. Near the destination airport, the meteorological conditions were reported to be good, and the crew requested a visual approach to runway 17, even though the active runway was 35. Once cleared to land, the aircraft encountered a fog patch and from this moment it began a high rate descent (2000 to 3000 ft/min). A minute after entering an unexpected and unforeseen fog patch, the aircraft struck some trees in level flight and with an airspeed of 148 kt. The wings and engines detached from the fuselage, and they dragged along a scrubland area until they came to a stop. The crew suffered minor injuries and the aircraft was completely destroyed. Causes: The probable cause was the decision to start a visual approach without having the runway in sight and the continuance of the visual approach in spite of the loss of external visual references, as they unexpectedly entered a fog patch. Contributing Factors: As contributing factors to the accident, the following are considered: – Lack of coordination amongst the crew which resulted in poor cockpit workload distribution, neglecting altitude alerts and instrument references once in the fog. – Lack of planning and preparation of the approach which caused the PNF to not completely know the procedure they were going to perform resulting in an ineffective decision making when the aircraft entered the fog. – Lack of response to the GPWS alerts due to inexistent procedures and lack of knowledge and training. – The aircraft encountered the fog patch when the workload was highest. The autopilot had been disconnected, they were attempting to intercept the LOC 17, the landing gear was extended and the aircraft was not trimmed. – The mental predisposition of both crewmembers to complete a visual approach, even before starting the descent to Santiago, since the weather information that they had got indicated VMC conditions and did not warn against possible visibility problems.
Source of Information
http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/ORGANOS_COLEGIADOS/CIAIAC/PUBLICACIONES/INFORMES_TECNICOS/2001/032_2001_ENG.htm?lang=cahttp://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CASTELLANO/ORGANOS_COLEGIADOS/CIAIAC/PUBLICACIONES/INFORMES_TECNICOS/2001/032_2001_ENG.htm?lang=caPrimary Cause
The incident was likely caused by a combination of factors, primarily stemming from a decision to initiate a visual approach without sufficient runway visibility, compounded by the unexpected entry of a dense fog. The crew?s lack of preparedness and inadequate procedures, including disconnected autopilot, inadequate approach planning, and failure to utilize GPWS alerts, contributed significantly to the accident.The incident was likely caused by a combination of factors, primarily stemming from a decision to initiate a visual approach without sufficient runway visibility, compounded by the unexpected entry of a dense fog. The crew?s lack of preparedness and inadequate procedures, including disconnected autopilot, inadequate approach planning, and failure to utilize GPWS alerts, contributed significantly to the accident.Share on:
