20101001049179I

(DALLAS FSDO INCIDENT # ISW05201110001)ON OCTOBER 1, 2010, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SW ROC STATING THERE WAS AN AIRCRAFT THAT EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD, AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD TWO BLOWN MAIN TIRES AND BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR HAD COLLAPSED. I TOOK DOWN ALL THE PERTINENT INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE ROC AND BEGAN IDENTIFYING THE NINE RESPONSIBILITIES AS THE IIC. THE INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THERE WERE 6 SOULS ON BOARD, NO INJURIES.PILOT, JOHN WILLISON,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, APPROXIMATE HOURS AS PILOT IN COMMAND OF CESSNA 425, 108 HOURS. APPROXIMATE TOTAL HOURS OF FLIGHT LOGGED, 6550 HOURS. LAST CHECKRIDE IN THE CESSNA 425 WAS 03-20-2010 FROM FLIGHT SAFETY IN WICHITA, KANSAS.I WENT TO WEST STAR AVIATION ON OCTOBER 5, 2010 TO LOOK AT THE AIRCRAFT AND GATHER MAINTENANCE LOG DATA, AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE AND REGISTRATION. SPOKE WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ABOUT PREVIOUS MAINTENANCE THAT HAD BEEN DONE THERE AT WEST STAR AVIATION, BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST SPOKE WITH THE PILOT ON OCTOBER 1ST, HE STATED THAT WEST STAR HAD WORKED ON THE AUTO-FEATHERING SYSTEM THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. AT THIS TIME, THE PILOT TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD BE OUT OF POCKET UNTIL OCTOBER 10TH WEEK. AIRCRAFT IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE PHASE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE.EVENTS OF INCIDENT OCCURRED AS RECORDED DURING CONVERSATION WITH PILOT JOHN WILLISON:DESCENT AND APPROACH WAS NORMAL, ARMED THE AUTO-FEATHER SYSTEM AT APPROXIMATELY 1500FT. ABOUT AT THE TWO MILE FINAL APPROACH, HE EXPERIENCED A LEFT AND RIGHT YAW OF THE AIRCRAFT. NOTING THAT THE WINDS WERE ONLY AT APPROXIMATELY 6 KTS, AND THERE WERE NO FLUCTUATIONS OF THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS, AND HE HAD APPROXIMATELY 400 LBS OF TORQUE INDICATED. HE THEN DECIDED THAT THE YAW OF THE AIRCRAFT HAD TO BE THE WIND. HE CONTINUED HIS APPROACH AND WHEN HE WAS OVER THE END OF THE RUNWAY, HE POWERED BACK TO 300-200 FT LBS OF TORQUE AND HE HAD 90 KTS INDICATED, HE THEN FELT THE AIRCRAFT "FALL OUT" AND TRIED TO ADD POWER FROM FLIGHT IDLE TO FULL. HE HEARD THE ENGINES SPOOL UP AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT MADE A HARD LANDING. HE FIRST HIT THE LEFT MAIN, AND THE TIRE BLEW OUT AND STRUT COLLAPSED, THEN THE RIGHT MAIN CAME DOWN AND BLEW THAT TIRE AND THE STRUT COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST AT APPROXIMATELY 1500 FT DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT EXPERIENCE DAMAGE TO THE PROPS OR ENGINES, NOR THE NOSE LANDING GEAR OR TIRE. THE LEFT WING AT THE WING TIP ATTACHMENT POINT WAS BENT DOWNWARD. THE LEFT AND RIGHT STRUTS WERE SHATTERED AT THE LOWER ATTACHMENT. LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKES WERE DESTROYED AND BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN TIRES WERE BLOWN.LONE STAR RETRIEVAL IS WHO WAS HIRED TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT AND MOVE IT TO THE WEST STAR AVIATION HANGAR, LOCATED AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD.AFTER INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I WENT TO WEST STAR AVIATION TO INTERVIEW THE PILOT AND TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE AIRCRAFT ON OCTOBER 12, 2010, WE CAME TO A CONSENSUS, THROUGH REVIEWING THE CESSNA 425 FLIGHT MANUAL LIMITATIONS, THAT THE PILOT WAS SLOWER THAN THE REQUIRED LANDING SPEED, AND SINCE HE HAD MOVED THE POWER BACK TO FLIGHT IDLE, HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GET THE ENGINES SPOOLED UP FAST ENOUGH TO HAVE THE POWER TO LAND WITHOUT INCIDENT. HE ESSENTIALLY, STALLED THE AIRCRAFT AT ABOUT 5 FEET OFF THE GROUND. THE PILOT ASSUMED THAT THE FAULT WAS THE AUTO-FEATHERING SYSTEM, DUE TO THE RECENT WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE WITH THE AUTO FEATHER SYSTEM, WHICH WE DID NOT FIND SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE PILOT'S THEORY THROUGH AIRCRAFT RECORDS AND CONTINUITY CHECKS OF THE ENGINE PROPELLER CONTROLS TEST THAT JOHN AND I WITNESSED.