What happened
On 24 June 2018, an Airbus A3/20-214, registration G-EZOZ, was performing a commercial passenger flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle. During the initial climb following takeoff, the crew experienced a configuration error. As the aircraft climbed, the co-pilot requested the landing gear be raised. In response, the commander intended to move the gear lever but instead moved the flap lever to the zero position.
Although the commander immediately attempted to correct the error by returning the lever to the takeoff setting, the aircraft's flap system logic caused the flaps to continue retracting. The flight crew quickly identified the mistake and focused on maintaining a safe flight path. They reduced the pitch to increase airspeed and ensured a positive rate of climb was maintained before eventually retracting the landing gear and stabilizing the aircraft. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
Investigators examined data from the Quick Access Recorder (QAR4) to reconstruct the sequence of events. The data confirmed that while the slats remained largely stable, the flap angle decreased from its takeoff setting to zero. Because the aircraft's recording interval for lever position is two seconds, the rapid movement of the lever back to the correct position was not captured in the digital logs.
Analysis of the aircraft's flap system logic revealed that moving the lever from the takeoff configuration to zero and back to one while at speed causes the slats to extend but leaves the flaps in a retracted state. The investigation also noted that the operator had previously implemented standard operating procedures (SOPs) designed to prevent such errors by requiring a pause before lever selection, yet the error persisted in this instance.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was an action slip, where the commander inadvertently moved the flap lever instead of the landing gear lever.
- The crew's training in managing low-energy states and upset recovery was effective in maintaining a safe flight path.
- No specific distraction or fatigue was identified as a contributing factor to the mis-selection.