ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 244402
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| Date: | Wednesday 7 October 2020 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Robin DR.400/140B |
| Owner/operator: | Vliegclub Rotterdam (VCR) |
| Registration: | PH-SVT |
| MSN: | 2622 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | Rotterdam/The Hague Airport (RTM/EHRD) -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Rotterdam/The Hague Airport (RTM/EHRD) |
| Investigating agency: | Dutch Safety Board |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Before the flight, the student pilot performed a walkaround inspection on the DR 400 in the hangar, after which he towed the single-engined aeroplane outside and placed it in front of another hangar. The student had left the tow bar in the nose wheel, in case it was necessary to move the aircraft again. The student then went indoors and obtained clearance to leave the aeroplane there for a while. After the briefing, the instructor and the student walked to the aircraft, which they approached from behind, and got in. The student started the engine and taxied to runway 24. The first part of the route had a smooth asphalt surface, while the next section consisted of Stelcon concrete slabs. While taxiing over these slabs, a rattling noise could be heard, which seemed to emanate from the area around the underframe. This faded away when the aircraft entered the taxiway. Nevertheless, the instructor wanted to test the nose wheel, so he made a few turns and braked a few times. Both occupants then saw wood splinters fly up into the air. The instructor assumed that
these had come from the nose wheel fairing, and decided to return to the hangar. A fireman, who was walking along the service road at that time, made hand gestures indicating that they should turn the engine off. The student turned off the engine and he and the instructor got out. They then noticed that the tow bar was still in the nose wheel, and that the tips of the three propeller blades had been damaged.
The instructor had a total of 12,615 flying hours experience, 10,060 hours of which were as an instructor, mainly on
single-engined aeroplanes. The student had 80 flying hours experience, 7 hours of which involved flying solo.
The student stated that he had deviated from his normal routine. On this occasion, he had not parked the aircraft at
one of the usual parking positions. After he had obtained clearance for this, he forgot to remove the tow bar. The instructor stated that he had not found it necessary to walk around the aeroplane again, because he knew the student was extremely meticulous and always performed the walk-around check properly. During the braking tests, the aircraft’s nosewheel leg was compressed, causing the nose to drop. As a result, it was possible for the propeller blades to hit the tow bar.
This occurrence shows that performing the walk-around inspection outdoors, shortly before getting in for an actual flight, reduces the risk that someone might forget to remove the tow bar. Indeed, walking right around the aircraft immediately before boarding, prior to take off, will automatically reduce the risk that things will be forgotten.
This includes fuel caps, inspection hatches, luggage hatches, and the like. It is also good practice to always remove the tow bar from the nose wheel after parking the aircraft or leaving it unattended. This will avoid situations in which people become distracted by something or other, and forget to remove it.
Sources:
https://www.onderzoeksraad.nl/en/page/17778/trekstang-niet-verwijderd-apex-aircraft-dr-400-140-b-rotterdam-the
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 11 September 2007 | PH-SVT | Vliegclub Rotterdam | 0 | near Stolwijk, Zuid-Holland | |
min |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Oct-2020 17:19 | harro | Added |
| 26-Oct-2020 17:25 | harro | Updated [Location] |
| 29-Mar-2021 18:41 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Jun-2022 20:29 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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