What happened
At 1835 CST, an Air Canada Airbus A319-112, registration C-GJTC, was performing a Category I instrument landing approach to Runway 13 at Winnipeg International Airport. The approach was conducted in darkness and freezing fog, with visibility significantly reduced. While the aircraft initially followed the approach via autopilot, the captain disengaged the automated systems at approximately 80 feet above the ground to manually complete the landing.
During this manual phase, the aircraft began to drift left of the runway centerline. The aircraft touched down approximately 1600 feet from the threshold, landing firmly and with a rightward crab. During the subsequent rollout, the left landing gear tracked outside the runway edge lights, resulting in the destruction of two runway edge lights and a cut to one of the left main wheel tires. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight data, the environmental conditions, and the visual capabilities of the flight crew. Investigators analyzed the impact of the prevailing weather, which included freezing fog and low vertical visibility. The study also focused on the pilot's visual environment, specifically the use of new progressive eyeglass lenses combined with contact lenses.
Flight simulation and FDR analysis revealed that after the autopilot was disconnected, the pilot flying initiated a left bank of four to five degrees. This maneuver, intended to align the aircraft with the runway lights, inadvertently removed the necessary crosswind correction, allowing the wind to push the aircraft off the centerline. The investigation also noted that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data was unavailable because the device was not disabled after the event and the data had been overwritten.
Findings
- The captain aligned the aircraft with the runway without compensating for the crosswind, which caused the aircraft to drift off the centerline.
- The pilot's use of new progressive lenses may have interfered with his ability to effectively use visual references during the high-workload landing phase.
- The aircraft's left landing gear moved off the runway surface during the rollout, causing damage to the runway lighting and a tire.