Summary
On Saturday, May 30, 2015, at about 15:58 JST, a Japan Coast Guard Bombardier DHC-8-315, registration JA727B, suffered damage to the nose landing gear and fuselage during landing at Sendai Airport. The aircraft was on a training flight with a captain (instructor) and a trainee on board, along with six other crew members. No injuries were reported.
Flight History
The aircraft took off from Hanamaki Airport at 13:58 JST for a training flight aimed at obtaining a type rating for First Officer certification. The trainee occupied the left seat and the captain the right seat. After conducting touch-and-go exercises at Hanamaki Airport and emergency procedure training in a high-altitude area, the aircraft proceeded to Sendai Airport for a flap up landing (landing with flaps at 0°), the final training item of the day.
Before arrival at the visual reporting point Yuriage, the captain and trainee completed the flap up landing checklist. The captain instructed the trainee that corrective action (pushing the control column forward) would be necessary if the pitch angle exceeded 6°. The reference speed (Vref) was set at 126 kt. The aircraft entered the traffic pattern for runway 09 and received landing clearance.
During landing, the trainee touched down the main landing gear near the aiming point marking. The trainee perceived a delay in lowering the nose, and the captain felt the nose was rising higher than the touchdown attitude, prompting him to push the control column forward to avoid tail contact. The nose landing gear then contacted the runway with stronger impact than usual. Neither crew member noticed any irregularity during the landing roll, and the aircraft taxied to the apron at about 16:05 JST.
Damage and Inspection
After engine shutdown, the on-board mechanic discovered damage to the nose landing gear during post-flight inspection. Detailed examination revealed abrasion marks on the lower part of the nose landing gear strut, broken components of the shock strut, and deformation of the forward fuselage skins behind the nose landing gear mounting areas. Abrasion marks were also found on the runway, approximately 2.2 m long, located about 743 m from the threshold of runway 09 and about 5 m right of the centerline.
Flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data showed that the pitch angle began increasing at 15:58:21, and the elevator moved nose-down when the pitch exceeded 6°. The pitch then decreased, and the main gear touched down at 15:58:24. The nose gear contacted the runway once at 15:58:25, then again at 15:58:28 with a vertical acceleration of +1.47 G. Impact sounds were recorded on the CVR.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the weather was not a contributing factor, with steady wind from 150° at 8 kt. The aircraft's weight and center of gravity were within allowable limits. The pilots' actions were considered relevant, but no probable cause was explicitly stated in the report. The aircraft was substantially damaged.