Date:	Tuesday 18 December 2012
Time:	12:14
Type:	Cessna R182 Skylane
Owner/operator:	Trustee of the Wife 182 Group
Registration:	G-WIFE
MSN:	R182-00244
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Dundee Airport (DND/EGPN) -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	EGKT
Destination airport:	Dundee Airport (DND/EGPN)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
An investigation into why a private plane nosedived into the runway at Dundee Airport after its landing gear failed has proved inconclusive. The 56-year-old pilot, who was alone in the single-engine Cessna R182 Skylane plane, walked away uninjured from the damaged 35-year-old craft after it crash landed in perfect conditions.

The plane was left with a damaged propeller and forward lower cowlings, while the engine “shock-loaded”, which means it was forcibly stopped by the collision, which happened at 12.14pm on December 18. The damaged craft was removed from the runway by Tayside Aviation, who were conducting tests on the privately-owned Cessna and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch began an investigation immediately.

However, when their report was published yesterday it stated: “A reason for the nose landing gear failing to lower had not been established at the time of this report.”

The report showed that the pilot held a commercial pilot’s license and had 1,430 hours’ flying experience, 21 of those with that type of aircraft. The report submitted by the pilot showed that he was on an engineering test flight to check fuel mixture and rpm settings and the weather was fine. The report states: “The pilot reported that he selected the landing gear down and saw the main gear lower as normal.

“However, he did not see a green ‘gear down’ indicator light until he cupped his hand around the indicator, after which he did see the light. Just before touchdown, he heard the ‘landing gear unsafe’ warning horn but ignored it, assuming it to be the stall warning horn. The aircraft continued to pitch nose-down after landing and the propeller struck the ground. It slid to a stop on the hard surface runway without the need to apply wheel brakes.

“Photographs taken at the scene showed the nose landing gear to be still retracted with the gear doors closed.”

A spokesman for Dundee Airport said: “The Airport Fire Service reacted entirely in line with standard procedures. They immediately respond to any incident of this type.”

UPDATE:
The incident was the subject of an AAIB Investigation, and the following is the summary from the AAIB report, published on 10 December 2014:

"Synopsis:
The pilot re-joined the visual circuit at Dundee after an engineering test flight intended to check fuel mixture and rpm settings. The weather was fine, with a surface wind from 260° at 10 kt; Runway 27 was in use.

The pilot reported that he selected the landing gear down and saw the main gear lower as normal. However, he did not see a green ‘gear down’ indicator light until he cupped his hand around the indicator, after which he did see the light. Just before touchdown, he heard the ‘landing gear unsafe’ warning horn, but ignored it, assuming it to be the stall warning horn. The aircraft continued to pitch nose-down after landing and the propeller struck the ground. It slid to a stop on the hard surface runway without the need to apply wheel brakes.

Photographs taken at the scene showed the nose landing gear to be still retracted with the gear doors closed. A reason for the nose landing gear failing to lower had not been established at the time of this report".

Damage Sustained to airframe
Per the AAIB Report "Damage to propeller and forward lower cowlings, engine shock-loaded". G-WIFE was repaired and returned to service, being involved in a later incident at RAF Kirknewton on 25 May 2020 (see AAIB Report and later ASN entry)

1. AAIB Report dated 10 December 2014: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230117ed915d1371000b05/Cessna_R182_Skylane_G-WIFE_03-13.pdf
2. Kathryn's Report: http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2013/03/over-dundg-wife-cessna-182-skylane.html
3. Dundee Courier 15 March 2013: https://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/dundee/74642/questions-over-dundee-airport-plane-crash-unanswered/
4. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-BGVT/1081008
5. https://airport-data.com/aircraft/G-BGVT.html
6. https://airport-data.com/aircraft/G-WIFE.html
7. Later incident at RAF Kirknewton 25 May 2020 (ASN Entry): https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/239954
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundee_Airport

Built 1978. First registered as G-BGVT 1979-2001. Re-registered 2001 as G-WIFE

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


25 May 2020

G-WIFE

Trustee of the Wife 182 Group

0

RAF Kirknewton, Whitemoss, 1 mile SE of Kirknewton, West Lothian

sub

Cessna 182 landing & taking off from the Isle of Colonsay in the Western Isles of Scotland in 2019:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
13-Oct-2024 07:57	Dr. John Smith	Added
13-Oct-2024 07:58	ASN	Updated [Accident report, ]