Incident Overview
On December 14, 2008, at approximately 1445 central standard time, a Bombardier CL-600-2B16 (registration N573BA) operated by the Boeing Company sustained substantial damage during a landing attempt at Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY), Gary, Indiana. The aircraft was on a positioning flight under 14 CFR Part 91, having departed Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) at 1435 with GYY as the intended destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The two pilots and one flight attendant were not injured.
Previous Flight Attempts
Earlier that day, the same aircraft had originated from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with GYY as the destination. Between 1314 and 1322, the crew made two approaches to runway 12 at GYY but did not land due to crosswinds. After the second go-around, they diverted to MDW and landed without incident. Passengers were offloaded and provided ground transportation. The pilots later learned that two company airplanes had landed at GYY since their diversion, and they decided to attempt another landing. The pilot-in-command (PIC) filed a new IFR flight plan, and the flight departed for GYY.
Approach and Hard Landing
The second-in-command (SIC), serving as the pilot flying (PF), occupied the left seat. The PIC was the pilot monitoring (PM) in the right seat. During the visual approach to runway 12, the PF set the flaps to Flaps 30 instead of the normal Flaps 45 due to strong crosswinds. The PF called for the airspeed to be set at 140 knots, but the PM set it to 150 knots to account for Vref corrections for the reduced flap setting, winds, and gusts.
The Gary tower controller provided wind updates: initially 180 degrees at 25 knots gusting to 32 knots; later, when the aircraft was about 1.5 miles from the runway, 170 degrees at 18 knots gusting to 32 knots; and just prior to touchdown, 150 degrees at 18 knots. Approach control recorded a low altitude alert around that time.
The PF reported that the approach required numerous thrust lever adjustments and control deflections. He maintained runway centerline by crabbing into the wind, then removed the crab and slipped during the flare. Feeling that the airplane would not descend, he applied forward pressure on the yoke. The nose gear struck the runway first, followed by the main landing gear. The airplane bounced, and the PF immediately applied go-around thrust and stowed the spoilers he had deployed. He called for landing gear retraction and flaps to Flaps 20, which the PM executed after checking the hydraulic synoptic page. The crew attempted a second landing at GYY but discontinued due to strong crosswinds and returned to MDW.
Return to Midway and Damage Discovery
At MDW, the PF flew an ILS approach to runway 31C and circled to land on runway 22L, making an uneventful landing with Flaps 45. The post-flight inspection by the PIC revealed substantial damage in the area of the nose wheel well.
Aircraft and Operational Data
Inspection showed no pre-existing anomalies. Flight data indicated the airplane touched down at 154 knots. According to the Bombardier Quick Reference Handbook (QRH), the Vref for the aircraft at its landing weight with Flaps 45 was 120 knots. The QRH abnormal procedures section states that a 7-knot additive is appropriate for a Flap 30 landing only in the event of a FLAPS FAIL indication that precludes a normal Flaps 45 landing. The QRH does not provide for a Flaps 30 landing in crosswind conditions.