What happened
During the first quarter of 2023, several notable aviation occurrences were recorded. On 12 January 2023, an Airbus A330-30 and landed at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, touching down before the runway threshold and impacting threshold lights.
On 6 February 2023, a Socata TBM 700 experienced a runway excursion at Kempen Airport after an engine technical problem caused higher than normal airspeed during landing, leading the aircraft to overrun the paved surface into the grass. On 13 February 2023, a Britten-Norman BN-2B-20 Islander at Saba's Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport collided with rocks at the runway threshold, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.
On 25 February 2023, a TL-3000 Sirius, registration PH-4F9, experienced a nosewheel collapse during landing at Hoogeveen Airport. The pilot reported a leftward pull during rollout that could not be corrected, causing the nosewheel leg to bend and the propeller to strike the ground. Similarly, on 5 March 2023, an Aero Sp.z o.o AT-3 R100, registration PH-ZVA, suffered a broken nosewheel during a landing attempt at Lelystad Airport after the pilot lowered the nose to control a high bounce.
In a ground-based incident on 2 January 2023, a Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HXJ, was damaged at Rotterdam The Hague Airport when a platform on a reversing ground handling vehicle spontaneously rose and punctured the aircraft fuselage.
The investigation
The Dutch Safety Board reviewed several incidents, including a drone fly-away caused by a compass malfunction following a pre-flight payload switch. The Board also examined a recent investigation into a drone crash in the center of Amsterdam. For the ground handling incident involving PH-HXJ, the Board noted that a technical investigation by the handling company and manufacturer found no cause for the spontaneous movement of the vehicle platform.
Findings
- A drone fly-away incident was directly caused by a compass malfunction resulting from a pre-flight payload switch.
- Investigations into drone operations revealed that sensor failures and on-board system malfunctions frequently lead to loss of control.
- The failure of the nosewheel on the PH-4F9 follows a pattern of three similar accidents involving the TL-3000 Sirius in the Netherlands between 2019 and 2021.
Safety action
- The manufacturer of the drone involved in the compass malfunction was recommended to update user manuals to specify actions for control difficulties and compass calibration.
- The manufacturer was also advised to ensure investigators have timely access to technical information.
- Following a glider incident at Deelen Air Base, a recommendation was made to instructor groups to include 'steering following landing' and low-speed steerability in field briefings.