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we feel we can deal with those lesser items when we cannot control the more-demanding event.The nature of the scenario may have prevented electrical power from reaching the Beechcraft’s landing gear indicators (more on that in a moment). But, for whatever reason, the instructor felt it wiser to go around and presumably address the landing gear issue than to get the possibly still-burning airplane on the ground as quickly as possible.More from the NTSBThe throttle, mixture, and propeller controls on each engine were found in the mid power range, mid mixture range, and high RPM setting respectively. The fuel selectors for the left and right engines were found in the on and off position, respectively. This confirms that the pilots began the Engine Fire in Flight procedure, which calls for shutting off the fuel to the burning right engine. They did not, however, complete the entire procedure and feather the offending engine’s propeller. That the fire continued suggests it may have entered the fuel system itself and was burning in or near the wing, and/or that the engine oil system was burning, the contents of the oil tank and the airplane’s oil-charged unfeathering accumulators. Still, performance and control would have been greatly diminished with a windmilling propeller.The landing gear indication lights were examined under a microscope by the NTSB. All of the indication lights displayed filament stretch with the exception of the transit light and the right main landing gear indication light. The right main landing gear’s indication light filament was found separated. This at least suggests that the right main gear light was not illuminated and (had time existed for a check) the light would not have lamp-tested. Possibly the multiengine instructor, who had a little less than 1,000 total hours (although much of that was as a multiengine instructor), had been strictly schooled about the career impact of making a gear-up landing in a customer’s airplane and, in the very real heat of the situation, his attention focused on avoiding that potential, seemingly at all costs.Conflicting prioritiesFaced with this dire inflight emergency (the fire, not the landing gear anomaly), the instructor had the opportunity to demonstrate and use good cockpit management skills. This would have included using the student to help. We don’t know, for certain, who was flying the airplane, and if the MEI was working the radios as a Pilot Not Flying (PNF) and Pilot Monitoring (PM) to reduce workload for the student who would have been Pilot Flying (PF). We’ll never know if the two worked together, or if the instructor took command and control and the student was just along for the ride. Cooperation and communication between the two aboard this Beechcraft might have resulted in betterFEBRUARY 2016Tempus Aircraft Sales & Service Quarter Page4/C AdWinner Aviation Inc. Quarter Page4/C AdTWIN & TURBINE • 21


































































































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