Incident Involving a DHC-8-400 at EPBY on 14 July 2016

Incident Overview and Context On 14 July 2016, an incident occurred involving a DHC-8-400 aircraft at EPBY. The event was classified as an incident by the State Commission for Investigation of Aviation Accidents (PAŃSTWOWA KOMISJA BADANIA WYPADKÓW LOTNICZYCH), with the investigation concluded on 4 August 2016. The aircraft was operating a flight from EPKK to EPGD when weather conditions at the destination deteriorated to a level that precluded a safe landing. The crew, having anticipated this possibility based on earlier forecast analysis, had loaded an increased fuel reserve for the flight. After approximately thirty minutes of holding in the vicinity of the destination airport, the crew initiated an approach. The METAR information provided at that time was: EPGD 141830Z 02013KT 350V050 2000 +RA BR SCT001 BKN003 15/14 Q1002. ## Approach and Diversion During the final approach to EPGD, the crew determined that the crosswind component and the reported runway braking conditions, described as moderate to poor, did not permit a safe continuation of the approach and landing. Consequently, the crew decided to divert to the alternate airport, EPBY. During the approach at EPBY, the aircraft exceeded permissible flight parameters, specifically in terms of lateral load and an unstable approach in terms of heading and glide path. ## Post-Flight Findings and Analysis Following the flight, the exceedance was not reported, which was considered by the operator's KBZL as a failure to fulfill a duty. According to the crew's explanations, strong turbulence was present during the approach to landing, and the crew, while focusing on external observation, did not sufficiently monitor the onboard instrument indications. Technical services, based on an analysis of the recorded flight parameters, determined that no additional inspections were necessary. The overall analysis of the materials indicated that a contributing circumstance to the incident was the accumulation of unfavorable factors, including poor weather conditions and the performance of non-routine tasks such as holding, an interrupted approach, and the necessity to divert to an alternate airport. ## Probable Cause and Preventive Measures The cause of the aviation incident was identified as an operational error by the crew during the approach to landing. As a preventive measure, the fleet's “Safety pilot” for Q-400 aircraft was to analyze the flight parameter recording together with the pilots to identify any potential procedural errors and ways to avoid them in the future. The Commission did not formulate any safety recommendations.