What happened
On 6 March 2014, a BD-700-1A10 Global 6000, registration EC-LTF, was performing a commercial passenger flight from Madrid to Prestwick Airport. During the night approach to Runway 12, the crew encountered a crosswind. While the aircraft was descending, the pilot flying initiated a de-crab manoeuvre at approximately 85 ft agl, well before the manufacturer's recommended timing.
As the aircraft approached the runway, the pilot initiated a flare at roughly 50 ft agl. During this prolonged flare, the pitch attitude increased significantly to 11.7 degrees, and the airspeed decayed. This high nose-up attitude, combined with a rapid roll to the right, caused the right wingtip, aileron, and slat to contact the runway surface. The impact caused damage to the wingtip structure, the flap track fairing, and the aileron. There were no fatalities and no injuries to the four crew members or two passengers on board.
The investigation
The AAIB examined flight data recorder information, cockpit voice recordings, and the physical damage to the aircraft. The investigation also looked into the use of the Head-Up Display (HUD), as the commander noted that bright green symbology on the screen may have obscured his view of the runway.
Furthermore, the investigation compared the event to a similar wingtip strike involving a different Global 6000, registration CS-GLB, which had occurred at Luton Airport. The investigators also reviewed the operator's Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) programme and the manufacturer's training materials, noting discrepancies between the official Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM) and the manufacturer's supplementary training guides regarding crosswind landing techniques.
Findings
- The primary cause of the wing strike was the high pitch attitude during a prolonged flare, which reduced wingtip clearance.
- The crew employed a landing technique that deviated from the manufacturer's recommended method for crosswind operations.
- Critical information regarding reduced wingtip clearance at high pitch angles and specific crosswind landing techniques was missing from the aircraft's FCOM and the operator's manual.
- The brightness of the HUD symbology may have distracted the pilot and impeded the visual assessment of the runway environment.
- The operator's FDM programme had not identified a trend of high bank angle events because the thresholds were not sensitive enough to capture the lower-level trends occurring during landings.