What happened
On May 30, 2015, a Japan Coast Guard Bombardier DHC-8-315, registered JA727B, was conducting a training flight at Sendai Airport. The flight was part of a type rating training session for a trainee, with an instructor acting as captain. The specific objective of the final leg of the flight was to practice a flap-up landing, a procedure where the aircraft lands with the flaps at 0°.
During the landing on runway 09, the main landing gear made contact with the runway near the aiming point. Following this contact, the nose of the aircraft began to rise. Fearing a potential tail strike, the captain applied a forward input on the control column to push the nose down. This maneuver resulted in the nose landing gear striking the runway with significant force. The impact was severe enough to cause visible damage to the aircraft's structure and left abrasion marks on the runway surface.
There were eight people on board, including the captain, a trainee, and crew members, but there were no fatalities or injuries resulting from the event.
The investigation
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) examined flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data, alongside statements from the flight crew. The investigation focused on the sequence of control inputs and the aircraft's pitch attitude during the landing roll. Investigators also inspected the physical damage to the JA727B and analyzed the runway for evidence of contact. The investigation confirmed that the nose landing gear strut was partially destroyed, components of the shock strut were broken, and the forward fuselage skins were deformed.
Findings
- The weather conditions, characterized by a 7-knot crosswind component, were not a contributing factor to the loss of control.
- After the initial main gear touchdown, the aircraft's pitch angle began to increase.
- The captain, attempting to prevent a tail strike, executed a sudden and large nose-down control input.
- This aggressive correction caused the nose landing gear to strike the ground with a vertical acceleration of +1.47 G, leading to the structural damage of the landing gear and fuselage.