Introduction
On 1 September 2018, a serious incident occurred involving Go Air flight G8-283, operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft registered as VT-WGJ. The flight was scheduled from Bangalore (VOBL) to Pune. The aircraft had 169 passengers and 6 crew on board. No injuries were reported, and there was no fire.
Flight History
During the takeoff roll, at a ground speed of 20 knots, engine No. 1 exhibited very high N2 vibrations, reaching 10.0 units. At 1500 feet radio altitude, the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) triggered a master caution for high engine vibrations. The crew performed the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) procedure, after which vibration parameters temporarily returned to normal. Subsequently, vibrations increased again, accompanied by warnings including Eng 1 OIL CLOG, Eng 1 OIL FILTER DEGRADE, and Eng 1 STALL. The auto-thrust system was disengaged, and the commander decided to continue with manual thrust. The engine then failed, and the ECAM procedure to shut down engine No. 1 was carried out.
Return and Approach
The pilot flying (PF) decided to return to Bangalore as the nearest suitable airport, and a PAN PAN call was made. No assistance was requested. A single-engine straight-in Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach was conducted. During the approach, the pilot monitoring (PM) switched off the glideslope mode as instructed by the PF. The PM made multiple callouts regarding speed and alignment, and the PF made small adjustments to the operating engine's thrust. During the flare, the aircraft pitched up, but angle-of-attack protection (αprot) activated, and the aircraft touched down. The PM was aware of a hard landing but did not communicate it to the PF.
Landing and Damage
The touchdown vertical acceleration reached 2.68 g, exceeding the manufacturer's limit of 2.6 g. Analysis of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) data by Airbus yielded a computed landing g value of 3.25 at a landing weight of 64.45 tonnes and a rate of descent of 13.1 feet per second, classifying the event as a severe hard landing. The aircraft was grounded for approximately six months for maintenance. Inspections required by Airbus included the landing gear, vertical tail plane, wing, centre fuselage, centre wing box, cargo doors, and emergency exit hatches. Both main landing gears were removed as recommended by the supplier, Safran.
Aircraft and Personnel
The Airbus A320 (MSN 7737) was delivered in November 2017 and equipped with Pratt & Whitney NEO engines. At the time of the incident, it had logged 3096 hours and 1969 cycles. The pilot flying was a 47-year-old ATPL holder with 6096 total flying hours, including 675 hours as commander on the A320. The pilot monitoring was a 42-year-old CPL holder with 945.49 total flying hours, including 633.32 hours on the A320.
Meteorological Conditions
The METAR valid at the time of the incident indicated wind from 280° at 7 knots, scattered clouds at 1200 feet, visibility 6000 meters in haze, and temperature 20°C. All navigational aids and communications with ATC were functioning normally.