What happened
On a scheduled flight from Îles-de-la-Madeleine to Gaspé, a DHC-8-301, registration C-GUON, experienced a hard landing that resulted in the rear of the fuselage striking the runway. The aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation LP, was carrying 32 passengers and 3 crew members. During the final approach to Runway 29, the aircraft descended below the optimal 3-degree glide path. As the aircraft approached the threshold, the pilot flying reduced power, which led to a drop in airspeed and an increased rate of descent. Upon touchdown, the impact was severe enough to compress the landing gear oleos, causing the aft fuselage to make contact with the pavement. While no injuries were reported among the passengers or crew, eight passengers were transported to a hospital for precautionary examinations due to the force of the impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the crew's management of the approach and the aircraft's energy state. Investigators found that the aircraft failed to meet the company's stabilized approach criteria 500 feet above the runway, as the airspeed was higher than the prescribed limit. Furthermore, the pilot monitoring did not issue any call-outs regarding the deviation from the approach slope or the unstable speed. The investigation also noted that the cockpit voice recorder data was unavailable for analysis because the recordings were not preserved. The study examined the aircraft's descent profile, the impact of power reduction at a low altitude, and the lack of specific training regarding manufacturer-recommended recovery techniques for high descent rates.
Findings
- The aircraft crossed the runway threshold with insufficient energy to arrest the rate of descent using only pitch adjustments.
- The pilot flying applied a significant nose-up control input to compensate for the sink rate, which, combined with the hard landing, caused the fuselage strike.
- The pilot monitoring was focused on external visual cues and failed to identify the loss of energy or notify the pilot flying in time to intervene.
- The crew had not been trained on the manufacturer's specific recommendation to increase power while limiting pitch to 6 degrees during high-sink-rate scenarios.
- The reduction of power while the aircraft was already below the optimum slope contributed to the unstable state.