Description

On 10 June 2013, a XIAN Xian MA60 (PK-MZO) being operated by Indonesian carrier Merpati Nusantara on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bajawa to Kupang/El Tari as MZ 6517 made a slightly steeper than usual visual final approach to the landing runway at destination and, after a sudden further increase in the rate of descent just before touchdown, hit the runway so hard that after it stopped, the wing box could be seen to have separated from the fuselage. Five of the 50 occupants, including one of the pilots, were seriously injured.

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the Indonesian KNKT (NTSC). The aircraft SSFDR and SSCVR were successfully downloaded and analysis of this data allowed the Investigation to confirm that "there were no issues with the aircraft and (that) all systems were operating normally." The focus then turned to the pilots and their control of the aircraft.

It was established that the accident flight was a line training detail for the First Officer, a 25-year old Malaysian who had just over 300 hours total flying time including 117 hours of line training on the MA60 and who was expected to be released for unsupervised flying the following day. His extended line training had been preceded by 24 hours of line observation. The aircraft commander was a 42 year old Indonesian with 12,500 hours experience including 2000 hours on type who had become qualified as a Line Training Captain on the MA60 and had 218 hours of his flying experience logged in that capacity.