AAIB Urges DGCA To Enhance Emergency Training In Flying Schools, Asks Tecnam To Revise Fuel Guidelines Based On Climate Conditions

Mumbai: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to direct all flying schools to emphasise practicing the handling of emergency situations on the Tecnam aircraft fleet.

The safety recommendation, which came with the final investigation report of a trainer Tecnam aircraft's accident at Bhiwani airfield, also suggested that the model fleet should not be parked at apron or tarmac during summer.

On May 12, 2022, FSTC Flying School's Tecnam P2006T aircraft – registered as VT-VDB – met with an accident at Bhiwani's Choudhary Bansilal Airport in Haryana. The crew, consisting of a student pilot and an instructor, observed roughness in the left engine and subsequently a loss of power, accompanied by a change in engine sound. After a while, the same issue was observed in the second engine, which compelled the crew to carry out a forced landing, leading to an accident within the airport premises.

The AAIB's final investigation report, which analysed various aspects like the serviceability of the aircraft, weather, crew, fuel and organisational aspects, concluded that the accident occurred because of vapour lock in the aircraft's left engine and slight loss of power in the right engine while operating at ambient temperature close to operational limit.

The investigative body observed that the aircraft was not handled according to the emergency situation, as described in the flight manual procedures and the crew did not have adequate experience on handling emergency situations on the aircraft type.

As a part of the safety recommendations, the AAIB has asked the aviation regulator to direct all flying schools to emphasise on practicing the handling of emergency situations that may be encountered during critical phases of flight on Tecnam fleet and to establish a mechanism where a student pilot is not paired with an instructor having less experience on type and cannot effectively handle the emergency. Simultaneously, it also asked the FTOs to explicitly cover the aircraft manufacturer's recommended actions – to handle emergency situations – as a part of their pre-flight checklist.

The AAIB also recommended that the flying schools should not park a Tecnam aircraft at apron or on tarmac area for long periods during summer season. It has asked the original equipment manufacturer, Tecnam, to review its guidelines regarding the criteria of fuel selection and that it should recommend fuel grades based on local climatic conditions while lowering the upper limit of ambient temperature range to ensure that it maintains the safety margin for the aircraft while operating in hot weather conditions.

The report highlighted that the DGCA has already instructed FTOs not to use motor gasoline for refuelling their aircraft and not to conduct flying training operations when outside air temperature is above 42 degree celsius.

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