What happened
On March 2, 2013, at 21:10 UTC, an Airbus A310-300, registration CS-TGU, was performing a landing on runway 30 at João Paulo II Airport in Ponta Delgada, Azores. During the landing sequence, the aircraft experienced a hard touchdown followed by a small bounce. In an attempt to smooth the subsequent nosewheel contact, the pilot performed an intentional input on the column. This maneuver resulted in a tailstrike, causing substantial damage to the aircraft's tail structure.
The investigation
The GPIAA investigation examined the flight data, cockpit voice recorder, and aircraft systems. The investigation focused on the crew's handling of the aircraft during the bounce, the environmental conditions at the time of landing, and the operational decisions leading to the choice of runway. The investigators also reviewed the airport's lighting and approach procedures, noting that the crew's decision to land on the wet runway 30 was influenced by the lack of instrument approaches for runway 12 and the difficulties associated with a night circle-to-land maneuver.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was inadequate handling during the recovery from a landing bounce, specifically deviating from recommended piloting techniques.
- A high descent rate was present both before and during the flare.
- The aircraft experienced a hard landing followed by a small bounce.
- The pilot experienced a momentary loss of situational awareness regarding the aircraft's position in the air and made an intentional control input to soften the nosewheel impact.
- A tailwind component was present during the flare, exceeding the recommended 10-knot limit.
- The aircraft's center of gravity was slightly aft, though this was a marginal factor.
- The crew elected to land on the wet runway 30 rather than performing a circle-to-land for runway 12 or executing a go-around, due to the complexities of a night approach to runway 12.
- Existing training and certification standards, which focused on monitoring approach speeds, made it difficult for the crew to detect the degradation in descent rate and approach speed.