20230105000639I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 42 · Belgrade, MT · January 5, 2023

Date
January 5, 2023 · 12:57 local
Place
Belgrade, MT
Airport
Bozeman Yellowstone International
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N460TS
Reported as
Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 42
Reported engine
Thielert TAE-125-01
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

privacy data omitted Commercial pilot/cfiprivacy data omitted, was acting as CFI and PIC of privacy data omitted, a DA42 multiengine aircraft, while a student pilot was onboard. The student pilot was not rated for multiengine aircraft, and was working towards a private pilot - airplane multiengine land rating. During pattern work at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (kbzn), privacy data omittedand her student landed the aircraft gear up during a single engine approach and landing to runway 11. There were no mechanical malfunctions – the gear was not selected down, and neither privacy data omitted nor her student realized this until the aircraft contacted the ground. There was no significant aircraft structural damage, and there was expected damage to the propellers and engines as a result of the propellers contacting the runway while the engines were still running.

privacy data omitted Stated that she was distracted during the lap in the traffic pattern due to a solo student on tower frequency having difficulty understanding instructions. privacy data omitted Was focusing on that exchange instead of what was occurring in the aircraft. The student pilot also stated that he was overwhelmed between the traffic at the airport and the fact that it was his first single engine approach. Both privacy data omitted and her student pilot stated that the student put his hand on the gear lever and said “gear down” but didn’t move the lever. Neither of them checked for their standard indication/callout of “3 green” at that time, or on short final. Distraction and saturation of both pilots likely lead to the omission of standard procedures to put the landing gear down and verify that it was down prior to landing.

As the FAA filed it

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COMMERCIAL PILOT/CFI^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS ACTING AS CFI AND PIC OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A DA42 MULTIENGINE AIRCRAFT, WHILE A STUDENT PILOT WAS ONBOARD. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS NOT RATED FOR MULTIENGINE AIRCRAFT, AND WAS WORKING TOWARDS A PRIVATE PILOT - AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND RATING. DURING PATTERN WORK AT BOZEMAN YELLOWSTONE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KBZN), ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^AND HER STUDENT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT GEAR UP DURING A SINGLE ENGINE APPROACH AND LANDING TO RUNWAY 11. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS – THE GEAR WAS NOT SELECTED DOWN, AND NEITHER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NOR HER STUDENT REALIZED THIS UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE GROUND. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE, AND THERE WAS EXPECTED DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLERS AND ENGINES AS A RESULT OF THE PROPELLERS CONTACTING THE RUNWAY WHILE THE ENGINES WERE STILL RUNNING.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT SHE WAS DISTRACTED DURING THE LAP IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN DUE TO A SOLO STUDENT ON TOWER FREQUENCY HAVING DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING INSTRUCTIONS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS FOCUSING ON THAT EXCHANGE INSTEAD OF WHAT WAS OCCURRING IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE STUDENT PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS OVERWHELMED BETWEEN THE TRAFFIC AT THE AIRPORT AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS HIS FIRST SINGLE ENGINE APPROACH. BOTH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND HER STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT THE STUDENT PUT HIS HAND ON THE GEAR LEVER AND SAID “GEAR DOWN” BUT DIDN’T MOVE THE LEVER. NEITHER OF THEM CHECKED FOR THEIR STANDARD INDICATION/CALLOUT OF “3 GREEN” AT THAT TIME, OR ON SHORT FINAL. DISTRACTION AND SATURATION OF BOTH PILOTS LIKELY LEAD TO THE OMISSION OF STANDARD PROCEDURES TO PUT THE LANDING GEAR DOWN AND VERIFY THAT IT WAS DOWN PRIOR TO LANDING.