On 22 March 2010, an AirNorth Embraer
S.A. EMB-120ER Brasilia aircraft (EMB-120), registration VH-ANB,
crashed moments after takeoff from runway 29 at Darwin Airport,
Northern Territory, fatally injuring both pilots. The flight was
for the purpose of revalidating the command instrument rating of
the pilot under check and was under the command of a training and
checking captain, who occupied the copilot's seat. The takeoff
included a simulated engine failure.
Data from the aircraft's flight
recorders was used to establish the circumstances leading to the
accident and showed that the pilot in command (PIC) retarded the
left power lever to flight idle to simulate an engine failure. That
introduced a simultaneous failure of the left engine and propeller
autofeathering system.
The increased drag from the
'windmilling' propeller increased the control forces required to
maintain the aircraft's flightpath. The pilot under check allowed
the speed to decrease and the aircraft to bank toward the
inoperative engine. Additionally, he increased power on the right
engine, and engaged the yaw damper in an attempt to stabilise the
aircraft's flight. Those actions increased his workload and made
control of the aircraft more difficult. The PIC did not restore
power to the left engine to discontinue the manoeuvre. The few
seconds available before the aircraft became uncontrollable were
insufficient to allow 'trouble shooting' and deliberation before
resolving the situation.
Shortly after the accident, an EMB-120
simulator and its staff were approved to undertake the operator's
training requirements. In response, the operator transitioned the
majority of its EMB-120 proficiency checking, including asymmetric
flight sequences, to ground‑based training at that facility.
No organisational or systemic issues that might adversely affect
the future safety of aviation operations were identified. However,
the occurrence provides a timely reminder of the risks associated
with in-flight asymmetric training and the importance of the work
being carried out by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to mandate
the use of simulators for non-normal flying training and
proficiency checks in larger aircraft. In addition, the importance
of appropriate operator procedures, and pilot awareness of the
potential hazards were reinforced as risk mitigators where the only
option was in-flight asymmetric training and checking.
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A computer graphics animation of the Flight Data Recorder data
was produced. The animation covered a 2-minute period
commencing with the aircraft taxiing onto the runway and continuing
until the end of recording.
Animation: [
avi:
Animation 15.6 MB]
