20160707016519A

AN UNINTENTIONAL LANDING OCCURRED IN PIPER SEMINOLE N190ND ON JULY 7, 2016 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:50 AM AT THE DILLANT-HOPKINS AIRPORT. THIS WAS AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WHERE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, CFII WITH A ME COM LICENSE, WAS WORKING ON BOTH GETTING CHECKED OUT IN THE PIPER SEMINOLE AS WELL AS WORKING ON HIS ME SKILLS WITH THE GOAL TO BECOME PROFICIENT FOR THE MEI CHECK RIDE. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM ITS HOME BASE AT HANSCOM FIELD (BED) AT 11:05 AM. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS FLYING LEFT SEAT AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ACTING AS PIC AS THE MEI AND SITTING RIGHT SEAT.

THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN, BUT WAS FLOWN IN VMC CONDITIONS FOR THE ENTIRE FLIGHT. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT EEN WERE OVERCAST SKIES AT 7,500 FEET, WINDS LIGHT AND VARIABLE, AND VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 10 MILES. ACCORDING TO METAR REPORTS, THE TEMPERATURE WAS 26 DEGREES CELSIUS.

PRIOR TO THE UNINTENDED LANDING, SECOND PILOT WAS SHOOTING A PRACTICE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 02. ON THE APPROACH THE PLANE WAS CONFIGURED TO SIMULATE THAT ONE ENGINE WAS INOPERATIVE AND FEATHERED, THE RIGHT ENGINE. PILOT STATED THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE ON THAT THROTTLE WAS SET TO 12 INCHES TO FACILITATE THIS AND THE RIGHT COWL FLAP WAS CLOSED. DURING THE APPROACH, PILOTS DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. #2 PILOT FLEW THE PLANE TO THE DECISION HEIGHT AT WHICH POINT HE WENT MISSED APPROACH AS THEY HAD PLANNED AND BROUGHT THE GEAR UP. THE GOAL WAS TO INITIALLY GO MISSED APPROACH ON ONE ENGINE TO NOTE PERFORMANCE ON A SINGLE ENGINE.

CONTINUING DOWN THE RUNWAY, #1 NOTED THAT CLIMB PERFORMANCE WAS NON-EXISTENT AT WHICH POINT HE INSTRUCTED #2 TO GO FULL POWER ON BOTH ENGINES TO WHICH HE COMPLIED. THE AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE DID NOT IMPROVE. #1 INSTRUCTED #2 TO REMOVE HIS VIEW-LIMITING DEVICE AT THIS POINT AND #2 CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE AS #1 SCANNED THE COCKPIT TO TRY TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE POOR PERFORMANCE. MIXTURES, PROPS AND THROTTLES WERE ALL FULL FORWARD AND THE FUEL FLOW LEVERS WERE BOTH AT THE ON POSITION. AS THE PLANE NEARED THE RUNWAY INTERSECTION IN FLIGHT GOING NORTH, #1 CALLED OUT, ?I HAVE THE FLIGHT CONTROLS? TO WHICH #2 COMPLIED.

DECIDING THAT GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD WITH NO CLIMB PERFORMANCE WAS NOT A GOOD OPTION DUE TO TREES, ROADS AND BUILDINGS AS WELL AS THE AIRPORT BEING IN A VALLEY, #1 CHOSE TO PLACE THE PLANE IN A LEFT TURN TO THE WEST AND SOUTH. AT THIS POINT THE PLANE WAS APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. #2 CALLED OUT LANDING GEAR AT THIS TIME AND CYCLED IT BACK DOWN. TURNING TO THE LEFT, #1 REALIZED HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE A RUNWAY AND STEERED THE PLANE TOWARDS TAXIWAY S TO AVOID DRAINAGE DITCHES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TAXIWAY. THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE TAXIWAY, CONTINUING STRAIGHT ACROSS RUNWAY 32 ? 14 TO THE SOUTHWEST. HEAVY BRAKING WAS APPLIED AND THE PLANE SLOWED AND CAME TO REST IN A DRAINAGE DITCH APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET ACROSS RUNWAY 32 ? 14.

COMING TO A STOP, BOTH MIXTURES WERE BROUGHT TO IDLE CUT OFF. MAGNETOS WERE TURNED OFF AS WELL AS ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES. THE PILOTS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND DETERMINED THAT NO ONE HAD BEEN INJURED, FUEL DID NOT APPEAR TO BE LEAKING, AND THERE WAS NOT A NOTICEABLE FIRE. FIRE PERSONNEL, WHO ALSO DISCONNECTED THE PLANE?S BATTERY FOR SAFETY REASONS, LATER CONFIRMED THESE FACTS.

FAA PERFORMED VISUAL INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT. AIRCRAFT HAD FUEL, ELECTRICAL POWER, AND CONTINUITY ON ALL ENGINES AND FLIGHT CONTROLS. VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED NO REASON THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE HAD A LOSS OF POWER.