What happened
On February 15, 2012, an Embraer E170-200 was operating a scheduled flight from Brussels to Warsaw (EPWA). During the approach to runway 11, the aircraft was configured with flaps 6, operating in conditions with a 1,000-meter visibility and a 13-knot wind from 150 degrees.
Flight data recorder analysis revealed that while all flight parameters were normal until the flare, the crew performed the flare too late. This resulted in a hard touchdown with a vertical load of 1.89g, followed by the aircraft bouncing off the runway for approximately one second before a second touchdown occurred, generating a vertical load of 2.29g. Following the landing, the captain verbally informed a mechanic of the suspected hard landing and requested that the aircraft not be released for flight until the Digital Voice Data Recorder (DVDR) was reviewed. However, the crew failed to make the required entry in the aircraft technical log (LDP 60) or file an Air Safety Report (ASR).
The investigation
The investigation established that the aircraft continued operations for several subsequent flights, including routes to Sofia and Helsinki, before any technical inspection was initiated. Although flight parameter data was read by the Flight Parameter Analysis Department shortly after the aircraft arrived from Brussels, the processed files were not uploaded to the server until 10:19 UTC, and an email notifying technical services of the hard landing was not distributed until 17:49 UTC.
By the time the technical inspection process began at 23:15 UTC on February 15, the aircraft had already completed four additional landings. The first phase of the special inspection was not completed until the early hours of February 16, and the second phase of the inspection was not performed until February 20, at which point the aircraft was cleared for normal service.
Findings
- The primary cause of the hard landing was the late execution of the flare and improper control of the aircraft following the initial bounce.
- The delay in performing required special inspections was caused by the failure to record the event in the technical log and the delayed communication of flight parameter data by technical services.
- Atmospheric conditions at Warsaw Chopin Airport acted as a contributing factor to the landing event.
- The delay in notifying technical services was exacerbated by a significant lag in the distribution of DVDR analysis results, which took over eight hours to reach the relevant departments.