What happened
On 3 December 2013, an Airbus A3/20-214, registration HB-IJB, was performing a scheduled passenger flight from Zurich to London Heathrow. The flight was being conducted as a line training session, with a trainee pilot acting as the pilot flying and an experienced Type Rating Examiner acting as the pilot monitoring.
During the approach, weather conditions were favorable with no low cloud and light winds. While the approach was initially stable with full flaps, the trainee pilot applied an additional nose-up sidestick input at approximately 10 feet radio altitude. This maneuver caused the pitch attitude to increase excessively. As the aircraft's airspeed decreased, the plane began to sink. Upon touchdown, the trainee pilot applied further nose-up input, and the deployment of ground spoilers caused the pitch to reach a maximum of 12.3°. This resulted in the tail of the aircraft striking the runway surface.
Following the impact, the commander attempted to correct the pitch with a large forward sidestick input. However, because the 'take over' button was not pressed, the flight control software combined the inputs from both sidesticks. The aircraft's pitch eventually leveled out as the trainee pilot reduced his input. The aircraft taxied off the runway, and while no 0 fatalities or injuries were reported among the 7 crew and 57 passengers, the aircraft sustained damage to the drain masts, lower pressure bulkhead, and skin abrasion, including a 190 mm crack on the lower fuselage.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the flight controls and the training records of the trainee pilot. The investigation found that the trainee was progressing normally through the operator's training program, with no unusual findings in his recent performance records. The investigation also reviewed the interaction between the two sidesticks, noting that the software summed the inputs because the commander had not engaged the take-over function.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was an excessive nose-up pitch attitude caused by an additional sidestick input by the trainee pilot during the flare.
- The commander's attempt to correct the pitch was partially neutralized because the flight control software summed the inputs from both pilots due to the failure to use the 'take over' button.
- The aircraft sustained structural damage to the lower fuselage, including a crack in the lower ring frame assembly and deformation of the lower pressure bulkhead.